Lucky Stars and Gitahs: Blast Beat Heart
by ParadoxBattleZone
Summary: Fourth book of the series. After Nanako and Sawako's battle for dominant position, a mixed-up Ritsu seeks the aid of Konata to better figure out her new feelings. The otaku agrees to help, but unintentionally becomes too attached to her student...
1. Yuri Zone

Chapter 1

_"Hello?"_

_ "Hey, Ritsu?" Izumi asked._

_ "Speaking. Who is this?"_

_ "It's me, Konata."_

_ "Oh… Hi, Konata. H-How are you?" Her voice showed clear nervousness._

_ "Oh fine- Ouch- Just fine."_

_ "Something wrong?"_

_ "Oh, well, Nanako threw a stapler at me."_

_ "She **did?** What for?"_

_ "I made a joke about her skin and all the red marks she had. Guess that was a bad decision on my part. Still, that was funny as hell, wasn't it? When we lit up both Nanako and Sawako?"_

_ "Hehe, yeah, that **was** funny… So… What's up? D-Did you want to tell me something?"_

_ "Actually, yeah…"_

_ "Is it about our toe-to-toe yesterday?"_

_ "Yeah…"_

_ "I see... L-Listen, about that… I **did** say I did that I did that to get the jump on you… But, I… Oh Jesus."_

_ "Ritsu, don't feel embarrassed," Izumi reassured the girl. "There's nothing to be ashamed about. If both our teachers were able to come out, you don't need to feel guilty."_

_ "B-But I… I don't **know** if I'm- I'm just not sure… I need help, Konata. I- I've always felt like I had something for Mio, but I-"_

_ "Mio? You and Mio-!"_

_ "Konata! You're not helping!"_

_ "Oh, right. Sorry… B-But Ritsu, if you need help… I'd be willing to help."_

_ "… You would?" she whispered._

_ "Of course. After all, it's best to confer with those of mutual interests."_

_ "Right… And 'mutual interests' being-?"_

_ "Yuri."_

_ "Eh- Y-Yeah… Konata?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "… Y-You think you could, I don't know, stop by my house sometime?"_

_ "… Sure, Ritsu. I'd love to."_

-o0o-

That day would come on the proceeding weekend. Just as Ritsu had agreed and Konata agreed, the blue-haired otaku found herself approaching the front door of the Tainaka residence. It took her but a short train ride to the town of Sakura, then an even shorter walk from the station to reach the home itself. Her reasons for coming were much more than to perhaps obtain a few more kisses. No, Konata was there, first and foremost, to help the drummer out. When she heard her friend's tone of voice yesterday slip into a state of confusion, she knew that action had to be taken.

With a plan in her head and confidence in her heart, Izumi strode up the last steps to the front door and rang the doorbell. It took a few seconds before she heard the muffled thuds of footfalls approaching from the other side, and another second until the door finally opened. From the other side emerged the drummer herself, Ritsu Tainaka, dressed casually (as Konata was.) She poked her head through and met eyes with the short otaku, stared for a split second, _then_ yelped from fright.

"K-Konata!" she exclaimed, perhaps a bit louder than she had expected herself to, "w-what are you doing here!"

In response, Konata shot up her left eyebrow. "Eh? Did you forget?" she asked back. "I came to help you out with your problem, _duh_."

"W-Well, yeah, but I didn't expect you to come this early. I mean, it's only-" She paused to fish out her cellphone from her pants pocket and checked the display "13:31. I figured you would have come later."

"Why, is this a bad time? Are your parents home?"

"No, actually, they're out. I think they said they wouldn't be back for a couple of hours." The second that was uttered, the mother of all cat-grins formed on Izumi's face, which sent a shiver down Ritsu's spine. "W-Wait a second! What exactly do you have _planned_!"

"That, my patient, is all dependent," she grinned back.

"… Dependent _on_…?"

"Dependent on how things progress today. Nothing may happen, or _everything_ may happen. It's all up to the decisions we both make."

"W-Well, if you think just because you're here that I'm just gonna open up my legs, you got another thing coming, you little-"

"Hey-whoa-whoa-hey! Let's not jump to any conclusions here, Ricchan. Like I just say, _nothing_ may happen today, but for your sake, you should just roll with things, not to mention keep that head of yours open. If not, I may not be able to help you at all."

"… Fine," Ritsu relented, giving a *humph* as she did. "… So, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, first, we need a quite, comfortable place for the both of us to sit. Might I suggest your room?"

"My _room_!" the drummer gasped. "I thought you-"

"I _said_ roll with it," the otaku snapped.

"Fine, fine, damn… It's up the stairs- You _can_ come in, you know."

Tainaka fully opened the door and Konata let herself in immediately after. She kicked off her shoes in the foyer and, after taking a few steps forward into the hardwood floored hallway, commented aloud "Nice crib."

"'Crib'? Seriously, who the heck still uses that word anymore?" Ritsu said back with a chuckle as she shut the door. "Uh, I guess I could make tea or something."

"Eh, sure, if you want to, but don't think that kind gestures will get you out of this," Izumi joked. Ritsu gave a shrug of her shoulders and entered the kitchen. As she filled a small metal kettle with water from the sink, she asked her day's company, who was still standing in the main hallway "So, how are the others doing?" In all honesty, she was just attempting to stall the inevitable for as long as she possibly could.

"Oh, they're fine," Konata replied absentmindedly. "Nothing really much to report on our front."

"Is Kuroi-san still pissed off about us shooting her?"

"_Oh_ yeah, she's still pissed. The marks have gone away by now, but she has been cramming Tsukasa, Miyuki, and me with all this extra homework. I guess it's her way of taking revenge. What about Sawa-chan? Is _she_ still pissed?"

"Yeah, she- Hey, you called her Sawa-chan!"

"Yeah, so? All you guys call her that? What, am I not allowed?"" the otaku joked.

"No, I _guess_ you're allowed, but I'm not sure how Sawa-chan would react to her wife's students calling her by that name… Jeez, I'm still trying to get use to that: my female teacher having a _wife_. Hey, that reminds me of another thing: both Nanako and Sawa-chan kept their own last names."

"Yep, they sure did."

"Did Nanako tell you why they did that? Sawa-chan hasn't told us (not that we've asked.)"

"I think she said that it was because they wanted both their families to be connected to their marriage. After all, they're perhaps the most famous couple in Japan."

"Right, right."

"Remember all the news crews and reporters that flooded into both our towns after they got back from Okinawa? Man, it was a total frenzy."

"I know, right? I remember all the freakin interviews me and the others in the band had to do. I felt like dying from exhaustion every day."

Konata laughed a confirming chuckle. "Yeah, I had the same issues," she said. "Me, Kagamin, Tsukasa, and Miyuki. I felt relieved when they all shoved off. But man, those were awesome days."

"Yeah…" The kettle finally came to a boil and the spout began to scream its ever-familiar whistle. Ritsu prepared two cups of tea and, with one in each hand, walked back into the hallway, where Konata still stood. "Here ya go," she said as she handed the other the drink. "It's a milk tea, nothing special."

"Thanks." After taking the cup, she glanced back to the stairwell at the other end of the hall, which seemed to beckon to the both of them, offering promises of understanding and self-realization. "So, you ready, Ritsu?"

The drummer initially gave a sharp inhale, but eventually came around to give a nod. "S-Sure," she replied. "Let's just get this over with. Follow me." Konata followed the other to the top of the stairs, to Ritsu's room. It was rather simple in layout: a bookshelf against the right wall (which housed little books, but held a lot of cd cases), a small-legged table in the very center of the room, a bed tucked in the corner opposite the door, and a disorganized desk against the wall to the left. Konata made a quick look-around before commenting "Not bad."

"Thanks, I guess," Ritsu said back. "So, what should we-?"

"Let's take a seat," Izumi stated, and she did just that, tucking her legs under the aforementioned table. Ritsu took a spot on the opposite side. "So…" she once more trailed off, "what happens next?"

Konata replied "You strip naked."

"W-WHAT!"

"Hahaha! Just kidding! Man you should have seen the look on your-!"

"KONATA!" Ritsu's face was about as red as a fire truck, flushed from both extreme embarrassment and anger.

"Ok, ok, damn. Just lightening up the mood, is all. But now, onto the seriousness…" Konata brought her arms up to the surface of the table and leaned forward onto her elbows, her fingers interlocked. "So, Ritsu, you said over the phone that you are not sure if you like girls or not. But you also said that you _thought_ you had a thing for Mio, right?"

The drummer's face slowly paled back to its original shade. It was back to normal by the time she replied "Y-Yeah…"

"Ok, then let's begin with Mio. Tell me your current relationship with Mio, and anything about the friendship you have had." She was sounding less like a friend and more like a psychologist.

Ritsu lowered her head down to the steaming cup of tea that sat before her. "Well…" she began at length, "I mean, Mio and I have been friends ever since kinder garden. I use to always pick on her because she used to have this stuttering problem. I used to make her cry because of it, but somehow, she knew I was joking with her the whole time. She somehow knew picking on her was my way of becoming friends with her… And I guess it worked.

Ever since then, we've done practically everything together. Whenever our families would go on vacations, we would _always_ ask our parents if either Mio or I could tag along, and they usually agreed. Hehehe, when middle school rolled around, and Mio had grown out of her stuttering problem, I would _still_ call her 'Stuttering Mio.' She still hated me for doing that, but honestly, we've never had any _real_ arguments as friends. It's been… good between us."

"Hmm. Sounds like the perfect friendship to me." Izumi shifted on her legs to a more comfortable position. "Would you say you are _attracted_ to Mio?"

This question brought the red color back into Ritsu's face, but it was not as intense as it had been but a few moments ago. Rather, it was a line of pink that stretched horizontally across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. "K-Konata, this is embarrassing."

"Why? You said it earlier like it was no big deal. So why are you nervous _now_?"

"I…I-I don't know." Her voice was rising in panic.

"And for that matter, why are you afraid of doing 'stuff.' We kissed during our battle, so why-?"

"I don't fucking know, Konata, _okay_!" The outburst seemed to resonate in the small room longer than it should have. "I knew letting you over was a bad idea. You're not helping me; you're just making things worse!"

"_Wrong_, Ritsu!" Izumi shot back. "I _am_ helping. _You're_ just refusing it!"

"I don't want to hear another word!" she then screamed before jumping to her feet and making toward the door. But she did not make it more than half way before Konata's voice stopped her right in her tracks.

"Not another STEP!" No longer the psychologist, Konata had made the transformation into drill sergeant. So convincing it was that Ritsu turned into a veritable statue. "If you just run away from your problems, you'll never be happy with yourself," she continued.

Tainaka finally worked the courage to turn back around to look Konata in her green eyes. They were now a tone of piercing she had never witnessed her display before. "I'm _not_ running away from my-!"

"Yes you _are_!" she interrupted. "If you walk out of this room right now, I will no longer help you in getting what your heart desires."

"D-Desires?"

"_Mio_. Though you may kick and scream and deny it, the truth is clear: you love Mio Akiyama." Ritsu gasped at this. "And the sooner you admit this the sooner we can move forward."

"B-But, but I don't _know_ if I love Mio!" Ritsu cried.

"Then _say _it. _Say_ that you love her. If you love her, it should be easy to do."

"W-Wha-! B-But I-"

"Repeat after me: "I love Mio Akiyama." _Say it_, Ritsu!"

Now, Ritsu was _actually_ crying. A tear rolled from the outer corner of each of her eyes, down her cheeks, and a drop or two made the plunge to the carpet below. "K-Konata, stop it… Why are you doing this to me!"

"Because it's the only way to get you on the right track! If you can't do _this_, then you're _hopeless_. Now say it!"

"I-I can't! I just can't!"

"Ritsu, if you don't say it by the time I count to three, I _will_ walk out that door, and you'll be back to being scared little Tainaka, forever alone because she didn't have the passion to tell the one she loved that-"

"I love Mio Akiyama! *Gasp*" Ritsu shot her hands over her mouth an instant after the exclamation. The yell echoed through both their ears, slowly replaced by dead silence. "…Oh my God…" she whispered. "I-I said it… I actually _said_ it…"

Konata's "take-no-shit" demeanor washed away as fast as light itself, replaced with the placid, grinning visage we all knew and loved. "Mhm," she mused. "Good. Now, say it again," she ordered in a regular tone. "You'll find that the more you say it, the easier it becomes."

With trepidation, the drummer's hands fell from off her mouth and back down to her sides. "…I love Mio Akiyama," she repeated in a whisper. "I love Mio Akiyama. I love Mio Akiyama!" With each reiteration, her lips curled up more and more into a smile, her face began to glow brighter and brighter, and her words became louder. "Konata! I can say it! I _love_ her!"

The other's grin widened. "Excellent. You've passed the first step of your road to success. Now, we can begin on Step Two."

"And what _is_ Step Two?"

"Take a seat and I'll tell you. Also, have some of the tea, now that it's cooled down. It'll help calm your nerves." Ritsu was again taken slightly back at Konata's demeanor. Usually, she acted in a goofy way, but not a few minutes ago she was actually succeeding in _frightening_ the drummer, only to _now_ act as placid as ever. Tainaka took her seat back at the table and took a few loud gulps of the tea. It was still hot, but not hot enough to scorch the lining of her throat. "Aah," she sighed after said gulps.

"Better?" Izumi asked.

"… Better. So, what's Step Two?"

Konata cat-grinned again, which didn't help Ritsu feel any better. "Easy," Konata answered. We must discover the boundaries to your 'yuri zone.'"

A blank look was what faced Konata now, courtesy of Ritsu. "… My yuri _zone_?" she repeated in deadpan. "What the heck is _that_?"

"Oh, just a name I thought up, but it's a title for the comfortable zone in your new sexuality. Allow me to explain:

Before you knew you liked girls, when you were straight, I imagine you had a good idea what you were comfortable doing with another guy, right? How far you were willing to _go_ with someone else, you see. So, what was it with you, Ritsu? First base? Second? Third? _More_?"

"Uh…" Again, the blush returned to her face. "I'm not sure. I mean, it's not like I knew any guys that were interested in me. I _am_ in an all-girl school, after all."

"True, true… But now that your 'playing fields,' so to speak, have changed, you have no indication as to how far you would be comfortable going with a woman. Luckily, _I'm_ here to help you figure this out right now."

Red. Such was the color of Ritsu's face once moire. "Ah!" she squeaked. "So _this_ is what you were talking about when you said 'everything could happen.' W-What are you trying to do? Use my confusion so you can get some free sex?"

"Absolutely _not_!" she instantly shot back, the drill sergeant reemerging for a split-second. "I would _never_ do something so low as to take advantage of someone like that! Like I said, I'm here to _help_ _you_."

"And how _exactly_ if figuring out my 'yuri zone' helping me?"

"Once you've both figured it out and _expanded _those boundaries, you'll have no trouble doing _anything_ with Mio."

_Mio…_ "B-But aren't couples _suppose_ to stumble through that kind of stuff? Together?"

"But what would you rather have, Ritsu: to stumble and possible ruin a relationship you've subconsciously wanted for nearly all your life, or to dive headlong into a relationship, knowing full well how _not_ to mess it up. Most relationships end because of stupid misunderstandings or small blunders that add up over time… But if you go into a relationship with Mio with _my_ knowledge, you'll have nothing to worry about.

Trust me."

"… Are you sure?" she slowly asked.

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"… What do I need to do, sensei?" Ritsu further relented.

"Hmm, _Izumi-sensei_. I like the ring of that… Ok, this is how it's going to go. I'm going to ask you to do _certain_ things to me, and if you feel comfortable doing it, then do it. Each thing will get progressively more personal as we go along. But, if at any point you decide that you can't do it yourself, _I'll_ do it. But _then_, if you feel uncomfortable with _that_, we'll stop right there, and _that _will be the boundary to your 'yuri zone.' After that, it just a means of expanding it until-"

"Until _what_?" Ritsu suddenly snapped. "Until we _fuck_? Is _that_ what you were about to say!"

"_That's_ based on if we _both_ agree to it. Now, if you're ready, we can begin. We'll start of slow, I promise. Just sit in front of me and we can start." Konata finished by pivoting herself ninety degrees to her left, thus making an open spot before her where someone could sit.

Ritsu swallowed her pride (and perhaps a healthy dose of her dignity) before she force herself back to her feet. Measured footsteps brought her before the awaiting teacher and she took a seated position in front of her, sitting atop her own folded legs. "*Sigh* Ok, so how do we begin…?"

The blue-haired girl held out her right hand and asked her to "Hold it."

"… Eh?"

"Hold my hand, Ritsu."

The brunette looked at the presented hand, then to Konata's expectant visage, then back to the hand. "That's it?"

"I said we would start slow, didn't I?"

"R-Right…" Little by little, Ritsu brought her left hand up and, after a pause of hesitation, she dropped it down atop the other hand, her fingers wrapping around it in a soft grip.

"Nervous yet?" Konata asked.

"… Actually, _no_," was her reply. "Not at all. Well, it _is_ just holding hands, I suppose."

"Exactly. Now," she continued as she held up her left hand, "hold the other hand too." After another pause, Ritsu cupped the other hand in hers. "Good. Now, I want you to hold my forearms."

"Your forearms? Why that?"

"Trust me, we're working out way up." Yet another pause brought Ritsu's hand to the instructed place. Now _both_ their skins were beginning to tingle. "Ok, good. Now the _upper_ arms." The drummer's fingertips glided across the other's sleeves and migrated to a place centered between the elbow and shoulder, where they then continued to grip softly.

"Very good, Ritsu," Konata commended. "Now comes the more difficult part. Next, I want you to hug me." Before the other had time to exclaim something along the lines of "H-Hug?" Izumi had already proceeded further with an explanation. "Just put both your hands on the small of my back to start… Also, we're going to have to sit closer together, so if you wouldn't mind opening your legs _just slightly_ so that I can shuffle forward?"

"O-Ok…" At this point, even _Ritsu_ felt her will of defiance drain from her. With greater caution than previously before, she parted her knees slightly, creating a wedge for Konata to slip her left leg into as she scooted herself forward, Ritsu's left leg doing the same in the process. Her knee came dangerously close to touching Izumi's crotch. And in response to the touch of hands on her back, Izumi returned the favor by placing her hands on Ritsu's back.

The otaku looked into Ritsu's eyes, hinting the tiniest bit that she might be enjoying this learning session, and grinned. "Nervous?" she whispered.

"K-Kind of," was the other reply. "Hey, I thought _I_ was the one doing things, not _you_." She obviously referenced Konata's return of a hug.

"Semantics, semantics," Konata passed-off. She shuffled herself forward further, bringing her left leg into the open wedge. "Now we do a _full_ embrace. Just bring your arms fully around my midriff and I'll do the same, ok?"

Ritsu nodded before reaching further around Konata's body, Izumi doing the same. They brought their chest closer and closer until they finally made contact, two flat chests pressed against each other. The legs that were wedged between the other's moved closer as well, so much so that Konata had to sit herself atop one of Ritsu's legs.

Their faces were now less than half a foot's distance apart, their noses no more than a few inches. Each paused, their eyes locked onto those of the one before them. It was hard for _either_ of them to read the other's emotions. Nervousness? Infatuation? Absolute fright masked by a stern face? Atleast for _one_, an answer came.

Across Konata's cheeks and nose, the blush on her visage grew ever slightly, betraying that she might have actually _enjoyed_ this teaching method. Ritsu caught this in an instant, but said nothing of it. "Ok…" Izumi resumed. "Now comes the even _harder_ part, and every step afterward is only going to get exponentially more… _intense_.

Next on our list is… kissing." The other reared her head back an inch at the uttering of the "k" word, but Konata continued speaking. "It can be a small one right now, if you want (a peck, if you will). And it can be anywhere: on the cheek, forehead, or the lips, if you want… Ready when you are." She then closed her eyes and awaited the other's advance.

Now the entire gravity of the situation had been placed directly into Ritsu's hands, and had Izumi kept her eyes open, she would have witnessed the devastation that such pressure brought on the drummer's face, for it began to shadow with all manners of anxiety and stress. "_Oh God, oh God, oh God,_" her mind began to race. "_She's not joking around at all! She's really expecting me to do this again. I-I **should** be able to do it again. Hell, we did a lot more than mere pecks during our fight, but it feels different now- **Why** do it feel so hard to do now! It makes no sense!_

_ Damnit, Ritsu, you can do this just lean forward and… and…_ She looked again at the face presented before her. She and Konata were friends, yes, but were this any other day, the drummer would have not given the other's looks a second glance. But today, she _did_, and what came from it was a view of the blue-haired girl she never had before. It was never as if she saw Konata before as "ugly" or such words, but for whatever reason, the otaku's beauty shown that much more brighter to her in that moment.

And in her absentmindedness, Ritsu whispered aloud "Wow, you're beautiful…"

And like a hook to a fish, that comment snatched onto Konata with unbreakable force. Her eyes popped open and widened to what seemed the diameter of silver dollars. No, _much_ bigger than that. Furthermore, they seemed to glimmer with a hint of smitten. "Y-You think I'm… beautiful?" It was a complement that she was not use to receiving. At _all_. In fact, if it was not for characters in dating sims, she would have _never_ received such a complement in her life.

"S-Sure," Ritsu replied, again absentmindedly. While her own words were not at the forefront of her thoughts, the thought within her mind _were_; namely, how the heck she was going to overcome her anxiety and kiss. Konata closed her eyes again and awaited the touch of Ritsu's lips to hers… but the anticipated contact never came. Finally, Konata reopened her eyes to see that Ritsu was look away to her right, her eyes scrunched shut. "Uh, Ricchan?" Izumi asked. "Something wrong?"

"… I-I can't, Konata," the drummer choked up. "I just can't do it!"

"But why? We've kissed before, so why can't you now?" The blue-haired girl did well to mask the frustration she was feeling at not having Ritsu plant one on her.

"I _know_ that, but I just can't explain it! W-When we kissed before, I thought I wasn't into girls, and…" She paused. "I only did it so I could _win_, so that I could win our fight. But now… it's different. It's for different reasons…"

"Hmm… So are you saying you've reached your limit? You absolutely cannot continue further by yourself?" Konata asked, to which her reply was a nod. "Ok then. So, since we've reached the limit _you_ can initiate advances at, we now need to find out how far you can go _receiving_." Konata smiled, knowing that now she had another chance to kiss Ritsu. She felt the other's body tense up at her last spoken words.

"S-So does that mean," said Tainaka, "that _you're_ going to kiss me…?"

"Yep. Now, close your eyes." Slowly, Ritsu did just that. Now she was at the mercy of Konata's own advance, and near instantly, her mind began to race with thoughts. "_Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, she's going to do it, and I know it. But I don't know **when** it's going to happen!. Damnit, why does it feel like she's taking forever! My heart is beating so fast, it feels like it's going to burst out of my- AAH!_" Her thoughts screamed when she felt Konata's hot breath grace Ritsu's lips.

And it was at that moment that she had had enough.

She yelped a loud scream and her instincts forced her arms forward, pushing Konata off her thigh. Izumi fell backwards and landed onto her back with a thump on the carpeted floor. She got up immediately and yelled back "What did you do _that_ for!"

"S-Sorry, Konata," Ritsu apologized, "but I just can't do it. I don't know why, but I can't! Gah, guess I'm just hopeless."

Though Konata was still peeved that no kiss came of her attempted advance, her feelings or anger were overshadowed by the emotions Ritsu displayed. The look on her face, it showed clear self-disappointment. "Oh don't worry about it, Ricchan," Konata reassured her student. "To be honest, I was surprised how far we got today… At any rate, we've both figured out the limits to your yuri zone: kissing, both giving _and_ receiving. We got a good point to know where to resume our training."

"R-Resume?" Ritsu sounded slightly distressed at that aspect. "You mean we're just going to do this stuff regularly?"

"Well, yeah, but we're not _just_ going to do that. If we just try to just expand your yuri zone, I wouldn't be doing _half_ of what I intended to help you with. To answer your question again, yes, we _are_ going to do _that_ stuff again, but we'll be doing much more together."

"Oh? Such as?"

"Oh dating, for one."

"D-Dating! B-But _why_!"

"Simple, to get you ready for Mio." Again, Ritsu's panic subsided at the mention of Akiyama's name. "I'm going to help you get comfortable with other women, or to be more specific, _being_ with other woman. I can already tell you're nervous about the entire aspect of it, so there's some definite work that needs to be done to 'loosen you up.' Know what I mean?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so…"

"Hmm… Well, I think we're done her for today." Konata stood back up on her feet, Ritsu following suit shortly after. "Thanks for having be over, Ricchan. Despite the abrupt stop, it was a productive day."

"Yeah, I guess…" Ritsu said back. "Listen, Konata?... Thanks. Thank you _so_ much for agreeing to help me. Honestly, I don't think I could have asked any of the other members of Houkago Tea Time about this."

"You _could_ have asked Sawa-chan," Konata suggested.

"…"

"Anyway, I got to get back home. I left when Dad was out and I didn't leave a note. If I don't get back before he does, there will be interrogations from him, that's for sure. So, when is it ok to meet up next? For our first date."

"O-Oh, yeah, um… You free this Saturday? I don't know, we could do what _you_ want to do, I guess."

"Yeah, sure, I'm free then. Meet me at my station at noon then?" Ritsu nodded back. "Ok then. Well, I'm off." Konata headed out the door of Ritsu's room, giving her one last "See ya, Ricchan!" before shutting the door behind her.

Once gone, Ritsu took a few reverse steps before falling backwards onto her bed with a few bounces, heaving an exhausted sigh as she did. "_Man, that was the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done, and I've openly opposed **Sawako **before… Still, Konata did help me do what I probably couldn't have done on my own…_"

"I love Mio Akiyama…" she whispered aloud. "Yep, it's getting easier and easier to say…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** More Lucky Stars and Gitahs? You bet your fucking ass there is!

And so, I now delve into what readers of the series have probably been waiting to see for a long while: crossover pairings with the girls. And now, we have our first: KonataXRitsu. This calls for a new name! Let's see... SawakoXNanako I dubbed "Sawanako," so Konata and Ritsu will be... "Konatsu." Yeah, I like the ring of that. I know it sounds like it would be a TsukasaXKonata name, but I'd rather call that "Tsunata" instead.

At any rate, I hope you guys will read this next installment in the series. Reviews are always greatly appreciated, and Happy Readings!


	2. Ryoko Reunion

Chapter 2

"_Bonjour, mon amour_!" Sawako greeted as she entered through the front door of her home. Her attempt at a French accent was atrocious and, had there been actual French in the vicinity of her voice, their heads would have most likely exploded.

Sawako entered the kitchen with a bag slung over her right shoulder and a newspaper (amongst a few envelopes) tucked under her left armpit. She spotted her Nanako at the kitchen counter, preparing their dinner. It was her turn to do so that night. At hearing Sawako return home and enter the room, Nanako glanced over her shoulder and gave her a quick "Hi there" back before returning to her cooking. She always wore a white apron whenever she cooked, and tonight was no exception.

Sawako tossed both bag and papers onto the kitchen table. "Man, the school _really_ has been keeping me after school hours lately," she commented aloud. "I still can't figure out why though…" She turned back to Nanako, giving her a slight glare and placing her hands upon her hips. "Though _you_ don't seem to have the same problem, I see."

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?" she shot back. "That I don't work as hard as you? Maybe I do _more_ work than you, but get it done quicker!"

Their glares met for a second in time… at which they both burst into laughter.

Sawako sat herself at the table and began the process of opening the envelopes. One after another, each of them seemed to catch less and less of her interest, and the second she tore her way through them, she instantly began thumbing through the newspaper. "Jeez, there a lot of stories about perverts in the news lately," she commented aloud.

"Yeah, guess so," the blonde confirmed, keeping her eyes on the cooking before her. "Remember a while back, all those stories in the news about older men approaching high school girls around school grounds? Kind of put me on edge for a while, you know?"

"Oh my God, speak of the devil! A couple of days ago, I had to chase this creepy guy off my high school grounds!"

"No shit? You didn't mention that before. What did he look like?"

"Uh, well, he was kind of thin, had short blue hair. He was wearing sunglasses at the time. But he booked it the second he saw me see _him_. Strange, huh?"

Thankfully, sweat formed on the _front_ of Kuroi's face, where Sawako could not see. Unbeknownst to Yamanaka, she had just made a visual description of what Konata Izumi's father looked like. "_The next time I see Izumi at school, I'm going to have a number of questions to ask her_," she thought to herself.

Then, as the auburn-haired woman's eyes fell upon the "Local" section of the paper, they seemed to stand still over one article in particular. Their movements became more rapid as they looked over the one article, and after a few more seconds, they lit up with excitement. "Holy-!" she initially exclaimed. "Nanako, you _got_ to here this!"

This succeeded in breaking Nanako from her work. "What, what is it?" she asked as she turned around to the table.

"It's an article about Ryoko University." _This_ caused Nanako's eyes to widen. "It says here there's an open house for the campus- Oh man, it's _tomorrow_!" She looked up from the print to her wife. "Nanako, we _have _to go!"

"Hmm? An open house?" She paused for a moment of thought. "… So?"

"_So?_ You _do_ know what an open house for a university _is_, right?"

"Yeah, of course I do. It's where the campus grounds are opened up to the general public. It's so students and parents can tour the grounds before the beginning of the next school year."

"Exactly. Which means _we_ can get in easier than we could any other day. It won't be like when _we_ were the students. Those damn campus pigs had it out for me, I _swear_. They pulled me over _every time_ I went by one of their cars. Remember, Nanako?"

The other could not help by giggle at the remembrance of those moments. "Yeah, it sure seemed that way… But it probably didn't help that you had perhaps the most suspicious car on the grounds back then."

"Bah, they were jealous! They _wish_ they had a car like I do."

"Hehehe, maybe… So, what, you want to actually go to this thing? Why?"

"_Why_?" she shot back. "Come on, you cannot be this dense! Don't you want to go back and revisit the old spots? To relive the campus?"

"Hmm, it could be fun, I guess. Hey! Maybe we can find some of our old teachers while we're there."

"_Now_ you're getting it! So, you in then?"

"Definitely," the blonde agreed with a nod of her head. "When did you say it was?"

"Tomorrow. So we'll both have to sneak out early so we can-" Sawako paused, and took a moment to sniff the air. "You smell smoke?"

Nanano sniffed the air as well and indeed smelled smoke. "Yeah, I do too. I wonder what- Shit! The dinner!" In the time they spent talking, the oven had erupted into flames. The two wives scrambled over to quell the flames, which they eventually did, but by the time they did so, all the food items were blackened ash and every fire alarm in the house was beeping.

And no one ate dinner that night…

-o0o-

A familiar 1968 black Ford Mustang drove down memorable roads, roads it had traveled several years prior to this day. It roared its engine and approached the gate leading to a parking lot it had not been permitted to enter before: the _public_ one. The guard at his booth waved the driver and passenger in and the vehicle then weaved its way through the rows and rows of cars until it finally nestled itself into a spot. Finally, the two occupying the vehicle exited.

Sawako Yamanaka emerged from the driver seat and immediately drew in a deep breath. "Aah!" she sighed. "Nothing like going back, eh? Nanako?"

The mentioned one exited her seat and shut the door to the car. "Yeah, guess so," she said back with equal enthusiasm, "but I think you're taking this a bit too serious."

"Oh whatever. So, is there anywhere specific you wanted to go? Because, honestly, all I want to do is check out the dorm. Maybe even see our room again."

"Room 414…" Kuroi mused aloud. "Well, I _did_ have something, or some_one_ I should say, but I'd be content with just wandering the campus for now."

Sawako nodded. "Agreed." The two, as the pair they most certainly were, headed toward the nearest building: the science wing. It was not a wing neither of them often visited (given the degrees they pursued.) And as they made their way forward, Sawako wasted no time in moving herself right up to Nanako's left and interlocking her right arm with her left, bringing their shoulders together.

The blonde began to blush at the display she was put into. "Sawako," she whispered to her, "I know we've done a lot more than _this_ in public around here before, but people will look at us weird."

"Oh, they'll look at us," Yamanaka said back, "but I doubt they'll think we're strange."

"What makes you say that?"

"Look over _there_," she then said as she aimed her eyes to a point to their right. On a nearby bench, there sat two female college students, and the act of kissing they were currently in the midst of bordered on pornographic. "I think out little holding of hands is the least of the public decency's problems."

"Y-Yeah. Guess so…"

The married couple continued their stroll throughout nearly the entire campus grounds together. They passed through all the scenic courtyards that separated each of the buildings, recounting events of their past that happened there, one such event being the protesters of the new Japanese president after he was instated. Their antics were so loud and disruptive that the police had to literally throw most of the demonstrators off the campus grounds.

And as Sawako predicted, the couple that was herself and Nanako _did_ receive looks from the others that passed them by, and for the most part, they could be described as "awe-struck." "Why is everyone looking at us?" Nanako inquired her wife. "They're looking at us as if they know us or something."

"Well," Yamanaka answered, "our faces _were_ posted across the news for a week straight not too long ago. Maybe they recognize us from the broadcasts?"

"Yeah, you're right. I guess that does make the most sense."

"So, you said you wanted to meet with someone, right?" Kuroi nodded in response. "Who is it?"

"Oh, a teacher of mine. My European histories teacher: Kakashi Hatake." Sawako burst into laughter at the mention of the name. "Ok, I _know_ what you're thinking, but he gave himself that name _before_ the series was even published."

"He _gave_ himself that name?"

"Yeah. He was born in London, but he moved to Japan to teach European history. He gave himself a Japanese name so he could better fit in, or so he said."

"So why do you want to meet him?"

"Well, he helped me out when I was in trouble. A lot…"

-o0o-

"Ok," said Kakashi as he finished his lecture for the day, "I'll expect the mid-term paper on my desk by this time next week. Don't forget to brush up on all we' gone ova', and put yer' heart out into this paper. This assignment counts for thirty percent of ya' grade, so I expect nothin' short of perfection. Ok, class dismiss'."

Professor Kakashi Hatake was the European Histories teacher for Ryoko University. He was well known amongst both students _and_ faculty for his ability to pass his students. Originally born in London under the name Charles Hunt, he traveled abroad and came to Japan to teach. He gave himself the name "Kakashi Hatake" so that he could better interact with his students on a more personal level (and thought up the name a full _year_ before a _certain _series popularized the exact same name.) He was also known for being one of the youngest of the faculty at only twenty four years of age. He was in most respects an average looking man: slightly thin built, tanned skin, short black hair, tall, and nearly always wore a white button down shirt (with a plethora of different colored and patterned ties) and khaki pants.

At the class's dismissal, the students all seemed to life from their chairs in an instant and began to migrate toward the door. You could tell at a mere glance the people who _would_ turn in their papers and those who would _not_. It took no degree to pick out the slackers and the studious ones of the class. Among the latter was Nanako Kuroi, who after neatly packing up her over-the-shoulder bag, headed out of the door with the rest of the mob. Before she exited, she left her professor with a friendly "See you next week, Kakashi-sensei."

"See yeh, Kuroi-san," he said back with a grin as she exited.

Other classes seemed to let out at around the time Nanako's did, so the hallways were quite crowded. It was the last class of the day for Nanako, so all she needed to do is exchange books in her locker a floor down and she could return to her dorm room, to her lover Nanako. It was her sophomore year at the university.

The blonde felt like a canned sardine as she pushed her way through the people in her attempt to reach the stairwell back down to the first floor. A few times, her single long ponytail (as she had taken to fixing her hair lately) got snagged onto the passerby's bags and carried items. It was times like these that she cursed having the long hair she had, but those moments were too few and far in-between for her to make a change about it.

Eventually, she managed to make it down a stairwell to the first floor, where she reached her locker. The first floor was much less congested and more open in comparison to the second was. She approached her lock, locker "396," and began the process of doing the lock combination. The lock snapped open and she opened the door, only to be met with an appalling sight.

The locker had not only been previously broken into, but a trap had been set within. The very second the door had been opened, as cascade of… well, there is no better way of describing what was within than simply stating it… Dildoes. Sex toys of all shapes, sizes, and colors, fell from the locker and clattered to the ground at her feet. Needless to say, the young girl was mortified.

It took no time at all for the students that were walking by to notice the event. Around Nanako the hallway seemed to erupt into a frenzy of taunting and insidious laughter. Kuroi stood as still as a statue and looked down at her feet at the many devices that had appeared. In their fall, some had been turned on and they began to vibrate across the floor.

Then the tears came. In volumes akin to waterfalls, tears flowed from Nanako's eyes. "_Who could be so cruel to do this to me!_" she screamed in her head. But as she asked herself this, a certain distinct laugh seemed to emanate above the roar of others, and in an instant, Kuroi _knew_ who the perpetrator was.

She slowly turned to her right, to the source of the new laugh. There stood, perhaps no more than seven feet away, a fifth year at Ryoko University: Miki, a woman with long, lavender hair. It was the very same Miki who would later on in life take up the surname of "Hiiragi" and give birth to the twins Kagami and Tsukasa (among two others.) Unknown to her future family, in her younger days, Miki was one of the most mean spirited people you would have ever come across (that is, if she found you unpleasing.) If she liked you, she was kind and caring. If she had no opinion of you then you were just another person, but if she did not like, you had best watch your back because she held back no punches. Furthermore, in her younger days, she was a vapid opposer of homosexuality, so it would be only a matter of time until she began to hate Nanako (or Sawako for that matter.)

She gave the humiliated blonde an insidious cackle. "Hey _dyke_," she called to her over the ambient laughter of the other students. "I thought I'd give you a helping hand with your _girlfriend_!"

"…_Why…?_" Kuroi collapsed to her knees in complete embarrassment, the tears continuing to flow from her eyes. "_Why does she always do this to me!_" In the past, Miki's ridicules of Nanako never past more than snide remarks or the spreading of rumors, but today's stunt went far above and beyond _anything_ she had previous committed. "_She always is making my life a hell. Oh why am I even here if it means dealing with her. That's it. Tomorrow, I just leave the university. If it means being away from **her**, it will be worth it-"_

"Miki Inoue!" A very British sounding voice came from over the ambiance.

Nanako looked up to see none other than Professor Hatake standing up by her right side, his now piercing eyes aimed directly at the lavender-haired girl. "Is this **_your_** doin'!" he screamed at her, pointing a finger downward at the rainbow of toys at his feet.

Miki put on an innocent face almost instantly. "No, Hatake-san," she said back. "It wasn't me!"

"Don't you **_bullshit_** me, Inoue! I hope your parents have good lawyers, because they're gonna' love to hear about this!" Then, if shouting expletives at a student wasn't enough, Kakashi did something that would only further his legacy at Ryoko University.

Looking back down at the myriad of dildoes, he did the unthinkable: he picked them up, one by one, and (with surprising aim and speed) chucked them _back _at Miki. She instantly scrunched up at the first throw and didn't move as toy after toy was thrown at her body, hitting and bouncing off of her with loud smacking noises. It wasn't until a particularly large toy's head struck her square in the forehead that she finally turned and fled. The laughter of the hallway was now directed off of Nanako and onto Miki.

Once the lavender haired girl was gone, the professor turned to the crowds. "And jus' what the feck are you all looking at! Get lost, the lot of you! Go on! Get!" Slowly, the crowds began to dissipate as Kakashi continued his verbal assault. "That's right, nothin' to see here! Move along, that's it! Move along!

Once the hallway was as empty as it was going to get, the professor bent down and lifted Kuroi up onto her feat by grabbing her by the shoulders. "You ok, Kuroi-san?" he asked her. His reply was a continuation of tears. "Listen, It'll be alright, I promise. Miki, the foul bitch she is, isn't going to get away with this for long, I assure ya'. She'll be expelled from campus within the week, I predict"

Nanako finally lifted her eyes to Professor Hatake and pushed away the tears that stained her face. "B-But Kakashi-sensei," she wept, "what about _you_? You might lose your job for assaulting a student."

"Nah, doncha' worry about tha', missy. I've done plenty a' bad things as a teacher, but I always get away with them. You know why?" Nanako shook her head. "Because I do it on good intentions, that's why. When the staff hears about the stunt Miki pulled, they'll see me as a bloody hero for doin' what I did."

"Nanako?"

A new voice sounded from behind Kuroi. She turned around and was met with the sight of Sawako (dressed in her usual bad-assness) standing a short distance away. She took one look at Nanako's crying, then at the sex toys that carpeted the floor, then turned to the professor and asked "The fuck happened _here_?"

Nanako ran over to Sawako and wrapped he arms around her waist, burying her head into her right shoulder, where she continued to weep. Hatake approached a second after. "Your mate here," he explained, "was the victim of a hideous prank, courtesy of Miki Inoue."

The auburn-haired woman's eyes turned to fire. "Miki!" she seethed through clenched teeth. "That _bitch_! Oh, she'll bet a right-fine _ass kicking_ form me the next time I see her!"

"Well, it'll be off campus, I assure ya', because I'll personally see to it that she is expelled fer this," Kakashi assured her.

"Thank you, sensei." She looked back down at her still sobbing lover. "I think we had better get back to our room."

"Yeh', good thinkin'." Kakashi grabbed Nanako's bag and handed it to Sawako. "Go on, you two. I'll deal with this mess here."

"Ok… Come on, Kuro-chan. Let's head back to the room." With Kuroi's face still buried in her chest, she led her future wife toward the door that lead out of the building.

-o0o-

Nearly eight years later, both Sawako and Nanako stood before the same door that was once Professor Hatake's classroom. Sure enough, the name printed on the shut door's face read "Hatake." Yamanaka didn't need to ask if Nanako was ready to go in, because a soon as she had _thought_ to ask, Kuroi had already opened the door and walked.

Right before them sat _him_: Professor Hatake. In the years after graduation, very little changed in regards to his appearance. Perhaps the gaining of a few trace gray hairs and a few pounds, but nothing major. Currently, he was fixated upon the work on his desk. He didn't not even hear the two enter. So, Nanako took it upon herself to speak up.

"_'Ello, guvnah_," she said to him. Like Sawako, her attempt at a foreign accent was terrible. And it only seemed to infuriate the professor.

He lifted his gaze to the two and immediately entered a tirade. "Damnit, Chiyo!" he bursted. "Didn't I tell ya I hate when ya make fun of my accent-!" He stopped himself the second he realized that "Chiyo" was not actually there. "Oh! Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry! I thought you were someone else! Please, I didn't-"

"Oh, don't worry, _Kakashi-sensei_," Nanako butted in. "I forgive you. Especially after how you helped me."

"-Sensei? I don't think you two are students of…" Suddenly it hit him: the familiarity of their faces, their voices. It all came back to him. "… My God," he whispered as he got up from his chair and walked over to the two. "Is tha' really you? Nanako?"

His question was met with Kuroi wrapping her arms around his slender shoulders in an embrace. "Good to see you, Kakashi-sensei!" Nanako cheered.

"My God, it _is_ you!" When the hug broke he took a step back to get another look at the blonde that stood before him. "My word, look at how much yeh've grown! You're a damn adult, Nanako!" His eyes then glided to Sawako. "And Miss Yamanaka! The years have been feckin' great to you, I can see!"

Sawako leaned in to give the professor a quick hug as well. "Nice to see you too, Kakashi-sensei."

"So, ladies, what have you two been up to lately? Hopefully gone on to be successful in the fields you studied in, right? Nanako?"

"Yep, yes I have. I'm a history teacher at Ryoo High School," Nanako answered with a grin.

"Excellent! And you, Sawako?"

"I'm the advisor to the light music club in _my_ high school: Sakuragaoka High."

"That's wonderful to hear, really! But that seems to be all moot point compared to this yet spoken fact: you two are still together, it seems. Jesus, it's been what? Seven years? And you two are still girlfriend and- girlfriend? That's perhaps the best news outta all of this!"

"Oh, but it's _better_ than that," Nanako grinned as she brought up her left hand to the professor's face, Sawako following suit immediately after. Each hand displayed its own diamond ring, the symbol of the two's marriage.

… I hardly believe my eyes," Kakashi continued, his voice maintaining a state of great elation. "You two got hitched! Oh wow, tha' just made my year! I knew there was something special between you two, and I guess the old British instinct has yet to fade outta me! Ha ha!"

"But Kakashi-sensei-" said Nanako.

"Please, just Kakashi."

"But Kakashi, how could you _not_ have known this _earlier_? Our marriage was basically posted on every news channel not long ago!"

This came has an honest surprise to the Brit. "Oh? That so?" he asked.

"Uh, _prof_?" Sawako chimed in, "Where have you _been_!"

"Oh sorry ladies, but I don't take much to watching the news in Japan. Or reading the papers for that matter. Call me weird if you wish, but I keep in-touch with the happenings of my homeland mostly. But who cares about _that_! The important this is that you two are married! And I couldn't be any happier for you!"

Both the girls gave the professor a bow-accompanied "Thank you."

"… So," Kakashi continued, "you got any kids yet?" Both the wives' faces turned red at the question. "Ah, you _did_! So, went the route of artificial sem' did ya? So, be honest, who got knocked up? Was it you, Nanako?"

"N-No!" she nearly shrieked.

"How about _you_, Sawako? Take one for the team, did ya?"

"W-We _don't_ have kids, sir. I-It's just us living together," she explained, her voice showing clear embarrassment.

"…Oh…" Kakashi relented, _his_ voice emanating clear disappointment at the hearing of no children. "Sorry to spring that on ya like that. Meant no disrespect."

"N-No, it's ok. I'm sure the question would have popped up eventually."

"Right, right… So, wha' brings the two of yeh' back to the school anyways?" he then asked, making quick to change the subject after his social blunder.

"Oh, just to revisit the sights," Nanako answered. "We're going to see if out dorm is open now and maybe check out our old room."

The professor raised an eyebrow at the two the second Kuroi mentioned the room. "Aah, I get ya? Feel like reliving _special_ moments, eh? Well, don't let me get in your way! Head off you two. Twas great seeing you both again"

"B-But wait, Kakashi-sensei!' Kuroi pleaded. "It's not like what you think at all!" Even thought, partly, it _was_.

"Yeah yeah, I'm _sure_ it isn't. Well, again, it's been great seeing you two. Cherrio to ya both … Oh, Nanako."

"Yeah?"

"I _do_ hope Miki hasn't been causing your anymore trouble, has she?"

"Oh no, none at all. Not after you pelted her with- _those_."

"Haha, I would sure hope not. But hey, if she ever does, you just give old Kakashi a ring and I'll go to help ya', wherever yeh' may be, ok?"

Kuroi could not help but smile. "Got it."

-o0o-

When the couple left for the outside, the sky was noticeably darker. Day was beginning its inevitable turn into night. Their arms were once more interlocked as they then cut across the campus's center toward the opposite end, where their dorm was.

"So, Sawako," said Kuroi at a point in their stroll, "is there a teacher _you_ want to look for?"

"Nope," was her simple and concise reply.

"None at all? Why not?"

"Uh, Nanako, in case you have forgotten, I wasn't exactly 'model student' material back then. Sure my grades were good, but that really didn't matter when I looked like what I did. To put it simply, most (if not all) of my teachers hated me. But I don't care about that… I had _you_, Nanako. That was pretty much all I really needed in those days."

Sawako had kept her eyes forward as she said this, so she was caught by surprise when Nanako leaned into her left and pecked her on her right cheek. "You're sweet," she whispered back. Sawako did well to hide her blush.

Their meandering finally led the two to a familiar place: the open concrete courtyard placed before the dorm building itself, whose window frames looked to have been given a fresh coat of white paint. The rest, being made of brick, remained relatively unchanged. Before even entering, the two stood before it, simply gazing at its façade.

"… This is it," said Sawako, breaking the silence they had been holding onto for the past minute or so.

"Yep…" her wife said back.

"… So are we just going to look at it all night or are we gonna get inside it?"

"… Do I even _need_ to point out the innuendo in what you just said?" she grinned.

"No, but you just did, so let's go!" Sawako then practically pushed Nanako the rest of the way to the front steps, the soles of her shoes given off small clouds of smoke as they slid across the pavement.

In they went, Nanako before the other (as she was pushed in, you see.) Almost immediately, both their minds seem to slip back to thoughts that had been previously locked away. The familiar feel of the dorm's interior was unmistakable, and even though the walls had been painted a new color schemes, they was no possible way they could have mistaken this place for anywhere else. The interior was dead silence, a far cry from what it would usually be _during_ the school year.

Each step up the flight brought more of these feelings to a boil. One by one, step by step, they went up. Nanako's thoughts returned to her very _first_ day, how she had to carry all her many bags up the stairs. Even now, she could feel their weight upon her shoulders.

After what seemed an eternal climb the fourth floor was reached. The stepped into the hallway and looked to their left, and there, at the very end of the hall, _already _in view, was _their_ room: Room 414. "… It's like I can hear the metal music already…" Nanako mused aloud in a voice that conveyed absentmindedness.

She was the one to take the led forward, and Sawako followed closely behind. Each step froward brought both of their heartbeats faster and faster. It seemed another eternity before they reached the door itself. "414" it said on the tablet. With another pause, Nanako reach for the doorknob and placed the tips of her fingers on its cold surface.

_Bitch, open the door!_

That memory came and went as quick as a flash. It was so intense that it caused Nanako to lift her fingers in a jolt of movement. "Nanako?" asked Sawako from behind her. "You ok?"

"… Y-Yeah, fine. *Sigh* Let's do it." He grasped the knob and, much to _both_ their surprise, the door was unlocked. Both stepped into Room 414… It was new, but exactly the same.

The layout of the room had not changed a bit in the intervening years. The couch still faced the left wall where the television was, the cabinets and countertop took up the back wall, and the kitchen table was placed near the center of the room. But the _looks_ of the aforementioned items were the "new." The couch had been reupholstered from a dark forest green to a chocolate brown, the television placed upon a small table was replaced with a flat screen that hung on the wall, the hardwood cabinets had been painted over white (which was a shame, as it was good wood), and the table had been given a new coat of stain and gloss.

All the changes, however, did not deter the girls in the very slightest. They still looked upon the sight with teenage eyes, viewing the room at it had looked when they were students. As they walked toward the center of the room, their eyes wandering in all directions, Nanako mused aloud again. "I feel as if I can still smell it, the scent of my first arrival: coffee and stale cigarette smoke…"

Sawako managed to grin at that. "Yeah… the scent of something I've long since abandoned…" She walked over to Nanako's side again. "The couch is right where it once was. Though it may look different, it's the same one…" She positioned herself behind the blonde before she glided her hand around the front of her waist and held her body against hers. The curves of each body match the others, spooning in perfect shape. "The very same couch… we shared our _first kiss_."

_"Nanako," whispered Sawako._

_ Lifting her head and turning to her right, she was about to ask "What is it?" but before she could utter "Wh-", she was cut short by the feeling of Sawako's lips pressed against hers. That very moment seemed to hang in eternity for the green-eyed blonde, a flutter of emotions flowing through her body. In the same motion Sawako used to bring her lips to Kuroi's, she glided her fingertips across Nanako's waist and around her, then pulling Nanako against herself._

_ Leaning forward, Kuroi suddenly found herself beneath her friend, her warm body resting atop her. With Nanako suddenly thrust her tongue into her mouth, she froze in confusion, not sure what to do next. Then, the answer came clearly…_

_ She accepted Sawako's tongue by introducing her own into Sawako's mouth. With them now massaging each other, Kuroi reached her arms up and wrapped the around Sawako's shoulders and held her tighter to herself._

_ Lying atop the length of the couch, the two held each other in loving embrace, their mouths locked in a seemingly unbreakable bond. After five minutes, the twos' lips finally broke. They then looked into each other's eyes, both sporting strong blushes on their faces. Kuroi wondered to herself what to do or say next. Subconsciously, Nanako whispered a faint "Wow…"_

_ Sawako smiled. "Don't worry," she whispered to Nanako, "I accept your admission."_

The memory burned within Kuroi like a white hot flame, igniting passion in her soul that she had not felt in a long time. It was the combination of many different elements that helped fuel this flame: the nostalgia of her younger years, the remembrance of the early days of their love, a love that came bursting into the light that one faithful day. All these pieces were in play and they all struck Nanako's heart equally hard.

Nanako's skin began to tingle and heat up, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Her breathing became rapid and carried with it a voice of crazed infatuation and sexual desire the likes of which she had _never _felt before. Her whole body soon began to ache with the desire to relieve such pent-up feelings. It all reached its peak when Nanako could no longer contain it within herself and a moan slipped past her lips.

"N-Nanako?" Sawako whispered into her ear.

She had had enough. Still in the grip of Nanako's arms, she spun herself around, wrapped _her_ arms around Sawako's waist, and she pressed her mouth upon the other's, her tongue making the plunge as well. Yamanaka had no time to react; she was caught completely off guard. Kuroi took advantage of this: with her wife in grip with her left arm, her right hand slipped back to the front and crept its way to Sawako's belt, where it began to unfasten it.

"N-Nanako!" Sawako gasped in a moment where their lips broke contact. "W-What are you-! What has gotten _into_ you!"

The blonde paused her stumbling hand from undoing the other's belt, and instead grasped both the lip of her pants and buckle. "_Everything_," she said back in heavy, sexually-hardened breaths. "It was _all_ of it: the room, the memories, the _sweet_ memoires of our love. It all came back to me: when I confessed my love to you, and when you accepted it. And when we shared that love shortly after in _that_ room." She gave the bedroom door a peak over the other's shoulder.

"It all reminded me of how far we have come together, the bond of love we still share. Even after that summer apart after my freshman year, you _still_ held onto that bond, that link we shared, and it brought us back together, to _this room_. And after the_ years _apart, the bond was great enough to reunite us, and together we have remained, from _then_ until _now_.

Sawako, I never want to be with anyone else for the rest of my life. I want to be with you forever, and _never_ would I do _anything _to betray this love. I love you, Sawako Yamanaka, and I always will."

These words, and the emotions they carried with them, they all seemed to catch Sawako off her guard. But they nonetheless touched her heart. "Nanako…" she whispered back. She knew Nanako sometimes got emotionally attached to things (as a recent movie night of "Titanic" proved) and she _definitely_ was not above getting in the mood (as Love's Battlefield showed.) But to display both simultaneously at _this_ level was unknown.

"And," the blonde continued as she resumed her unbelting of Sawako, "you are _not_ leaving here without making me come. In _your_ room. Got it?"

And it was _this_ that hooked _Sawako_ like a fish. Secretly, this had been the entire reason she wanted to revisit the campus apart from the nostalgia: to fuck in her room once again. Years after the act, she sometimes thought back to that magical night, where both their cherries were popped. There was nothing else about the university that she had a connection to: as she had stated previously, she hated most of the teachers as much as they hated her. For the most part, she loathed her college experience, and she would have loathed it _all_ were it not for Nanako.

And the blonde's words made _Yamanaka's_ hormones come to a boil, and her entire body began to tingle because of it. Sawako tightened her hold of Nanako, thrusting her tongue back into her mouth and aggressively lashed it against hers. Both got lost in their affection as they lost touch with the world around them.

And it was in that state that they failed to notice the sounds of running water within the bathroom's shower shut off and the door open a moment after.

They _did_, however, notice a scream.

The two broke their infatuation and whipped around to the source of the noise. Standing before the now open bathroom door was a tall bespectacled girl, perhaps nineteen or twenty years old, with straight brown hair that hung down her back, reaching her waistline. A single towel was wrapped over her breasts that hung down her figure to cover the lower half of her body. And currently, she stood as stiff as a board, her face deathly afraid at the sight of the two strangers in her room.

In her petrified state, her lips seemed only capable of voicing stifled "E-E-Eh"s of nervousness. With great caution, Nanako turned herself around to face the girl.

"Uh…" she began, both her and Sawako's faces red with passion (not to mention Sawako's belt, pant button, and zipper still being partially undone.) "H-Hi?" She knew not what else to say. Sawako scrambled to fasten her pants and belt back on.

The young woman finally summoned the bravery to speak. "T-T-TOMO!" she screamed. "GET IN HERE!"

A few second later, the door to what was once Sawako's room opened, and from it emerged another young girl. Shorter than the other, she had short black hair that seemed to fan out behind her head like the leaned of a palm tree. She rubbed her hooded eyes and voiced a big yawn as she exited her room. "What, what, what?" she groggily droned. "What's with all the yelling?" When her eyes then finally opened fully, they fell upon the two strangers, then back to the girl. "These friends of yours, Yomi?" she asked her.

"N-NO!" she shot back. "Do they _look_ like any of my friends!"

"I don't know, you _do_ hang out with older students, and they look _much_ older than us."

Yamanaka immediately snapped the index finger of her right hand in Tomo's direction. "Hey! Don't you call me 'old' little lady-!" She paused herself. "… Did I _really_ just say 'little lady?'… Damnit, I _am_ getting older."

And Kuroi could not help but laugh. "Don't worry, _Obaa-san_, you're still the hottest 'g-milf' I know."

"Oh don't you even _think_ of calling me _that_, Nanako!" Sawako threatened her wife. "Keep it up, and _Otakuroi_ is making a comeback, you hear me?"

"Oh shi-! No, please, _anything_ but that!" she immediately begged. "Anything but that!"

Now Tomo was laughing, chuckling at the married couple's antics. "Man, you guys are hilarious!" she said while still laughing. "Yomi, why didn't you tell me you had such funny friends? All the people you show me are all boring, studious types, like you."

"I _told_ you, I don't know _who_ these two are!- And what's with calling me boring? I'm not boring…" She accompanied her last line with a bit of a pout.

"Oh I'm just messing with you Yomi. You know I love you… So," she then said, looking back to Sawako and Nanako, "if you're not two of Yomi's friends, who _are_ you and _why_ are you in our dorm?"

Nanako met Tomo's interrogation with a quick bow and an immediate apology. "We're so sorry to come in unannounced," she said. "You see, this room use to be ours when _we_ were college students. We thought it was empty, plus the door was unlocked, so we kind of walked right in."

"The door was _unlocked_?" Yomi exclaimed, turning her now burning eyes toward Tomo. "I got in the shower before you got back, which mean _you_ left the door unlocked! What are you, _stupid_!"

"Don't call _me_ stupid, _baka_!" the other snapped back.

Sawako watched as the two continued to yell through her and Nanako at each other for a few more back-and-forths. "You two sure argue a lot," she finally commented aloud.

"Yeah," said the shorter girl in response, "but it's not like we mean most of it. We're just screwing around… So, you were once students here at Ryoko U? And you had this room?"

"Yep, for four years," Nanako answered. "Sawako for three, because she was a grade above me."

"How did you manage to keep the same room for that long!"

Yamanaka grinned. "Anything can be done with a little _convincing_," she answered.

Nanako then added "Translation: she threatened the Student Accommodations Office."

"Hey, it got the job done, didn't it?"

Yomi spoke up again. "Uh, what graduating year were you?"

"2001," Nanako replied.

"2000," Yamanaka said.

An instant later, both girls gasped.

"Holy-" Tomo exclaimed. "Could it be- It _is_! It's them! Jesus, how could I not have noticed it before?"

"Y-You're right, Tomo!" Yomi agreed. "It _is_ them- And I'm still naked!" With that she scampered across the room, retreating into what was once Nanako's room, slamming the door behind her.

"You guys," Tomo continued, "are the Legendary Women, right? Nanako Kuroi and Sawako Yamanaka!"

"Yep, that's us," Sawako admitted, voicing a bit of pride as she did. "Guess our names are pretty well known around here, I bet?"

"Oh _hell_ yeah! You two are freaking legends! After the news got about your marriage, Ryoko quickly became the university with the highest population of openly gay couples in Japan. I think it was around fifty percent or something last time I checked."

"Fifty!" the wives exclaimed in unison. "That's insane!"

"Yeah, maybe, but it's the truth. This school pretty much became a haven for our kind. I'd be lying if that fact wasn't one of the main reasons I chose this-."

"… Wait a second," Yamanaka interrupted. "What do you mean 'our kind?'"

"Oh, I'm a lesbian too," Tomo admitted, without as much as a single shred of hesitation in her voice.

"Oh!" said Nanako with delight. "So does that mean your roommate is-?"

Yomi had just emerged from within her room (now clad in sky blue pajama top and bottoms, further adorned with fluffy cloud print) as Tomo answered the blonde. "Yep, Yomi and I are girlfriend and girlfriend." She shrieked at Takino revealing this to their guest. At hearing the shriek, Tomo merely turned around to her and said "Well we _are_."

"B-But you didn't have to tell them that!" Koyomi whined.

"Why not? Not like _they_ would get embarrassed over it."

"But _I_ **_would_**!" She quickly lowered her eyes to the floor in embarrassment.

This caught the blonde's attention as she wondered why she would have been embarassed. She closed the distance between her and by the time the girl had lifted her gaze, Nanako was within arm's reach of her. "Yomi. Really, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," she reassured the girl, "especially in a place like _this_ surrounded by your peers."

"Y-Yeah, I know I _shouldn't_, but I just_ am_!"

"But _why_?"

She averted her eyes slightly toward the floor once more. "I-I don't know… Well, it all sort of happened kind of quickly, Tomo and I…" She gave the girl in question a quick glance before she continued with her explanation. "She was the one to admit to me, you see. When she did, I never _had_ feelings toward other woman before, but when she confessed… I just couldn't say 'No' to her." This produced a grin from the mentioned. "But I guess it's also because… I'm afraid of what others will think of me-"

"Never think like that!" Sawako took a step toward Yomi and aimed her index finger in her direction. "I'm going to tell you this right now, honey: Don't give a _shit_ what others think of you. You want to know what happened when my _parents_ found out I was gay? They cut me off from the family. But you think I gave a shit? HELL NO! I just gave them the finger and move on with my life, and it was the best decision I ever made."

_She_ then closed the gap to Yomi, reached out, and placed both hands firmly on her shoulders. "You just worry about doing what _you_ feel is right, Yomi. Trust me, in the long run, no one is going to give a shit if you fuck guys or chicks."

Though her message could have been _much_ more politely worded, the meaning it conveyed was nonetheless potent. Yomi looked at the face that had just lectured her and smiled. "… You're right," she admitted. "I _shouldn't_ care so much… Thanks."

"Yay!" Tomo cheered. "We're all lesbians! Yay!"

The married couple looked back at Tomo, and in response to her rather unusual cheer, Sawako bluntly asked her "What _are_ you?"

"Eh? I'm Tomo Takino, that's what I am!" she declared, giving her chest a single pound of her fist. "And that lovely hunk of ass you got your hands on is Yomi."

"Tomo! Don't say things like that!" the aforementioned yelled before she then introduced _herself_. "My full name is Koyomi Mizuhara, but you can call me 'Yomi' if you want.

… So, you decided to visit the university for the nostalgia then, right?"

"Actually," Yamanaka answered, "before you came out of the shower, me and Nanako were about to go into Tomo's room and fu-"

"_Forgo_ doing any sort of weird stuff, of course," Nanako interrupted, finishing the sentence for Sawako. It was a pitiful attempt to mask what Yamanaka was about to say, made more so from the weak smile that adorned Kuroi's face. In spite of her valiant attempt, the two girls knew all too well what Sawako was about to say.

Tomo began to grin. "Oh, _I_ see what you two were going to do…" she drew out. "You two came here to have a little romp in your old room, I see… So, what room did you want to do it in?"

"T-Tomo!" Yomi protested. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, actually…" Sawako answered. "It's _your_ room, Takino."

"Hmm… Ok, go ahead then," Tomo then said.

Again, Yomi protested. "I _know_ you're joking, Tomo, _right!_ You're not really going to let them fu-" She cut herself short of uttering the expletive. "Do _it_ in your bed, are you!"

"What, why not? They're _Legendary Women S and N!_ I'd consider it an honor!"

"Oh no no!" Kuroi said in decline. "I couldn't, really! But thanks for the offer, I guess… Sawako, maybe we should get going- Eh!"

She shrieked at the feeling of Yamanaka's arms returning around her waist, now reaching from behind her. "We're not going _anywhere_," Sawako whispered into Nanako's ear. "Not yet. Did you forget what you just said? 'You are not leaving here until you make me come. I _my_ room.' And intent to do just that."

"B-But Sawako, we can't! It's Tomo's room!"

"But she gave us _permission_. Right, Takino?" she then asked her.

"Yep, no problem," she said back. "Just try not to make too much of a mess. I _do_ have to sleep in that bed, you know."

"You got it." And maintaining her hold of Nanako, Sawako whisked her through bedroom door on the left and shut it behind them, giving the lock a snap shut.

Yomi continued to stare blankly at Tomo, unable to believe she just allow something like this to happen. "… Sometimes, Tomo," she finally spoke, "I simply cannot believe the things you agree to. I think you're insane."

Takino lifted her gaze off the door and back onto her girlfriend. "Yeah, but that's why you love me, right?" she asked with a smile.

And after a pause, Koyomi smiled back. "Yeah, I guess it is…"

-o0o-

Once Sawako and Nanako had finished their business within Tomo's room, they gave their thanks to the two girls, said their goodbyes, and left. Once back outside into the now cool night air, they began to head back to Sawako's car. Kuroi was no longer looking her wife in the eye.

"Oh don't give me the cold-shoulder treatment," said Yamanaka as they made their return journey to the Mustang. "You wanted to fuck in that room not a few minutes before I threw you in there, so why are you mad at me _now_?"

"That was before I knew people were already living in the room!" the blonde snapped back. "I can't believe you made me to that, Sawako."

"Hehe, you didn't seem to mind once we got started," the auburn-haired woman grinned. "Plus, Takino gave us permission."

"T-That- I-I didn't mind because-"

"I'm so good at it?"

A blush shot across Nanako's face. She seemed to ignore that last question and continued trying to make her wife feel guilty. "It shouldn't matter if she gave us permission. It's not a polite thing to do."

"_Polite?_ Ha ha ha, you crack me up sometimes, Nananko! But hey, the way I see it, it would have been rude not to accept her- OOF!"

In their back and forth, the couple had inadvertently walked right into another woman. The three stumbled back a step or two after the collision before they met eyes. The person they walked into looked to be around their same age, had wavy, brown shoulder length hair, and was dressed in an oddly-patterned sweater and maroon shirt.

"Oh, sorry about that," she initially apologized. "Guess I wasn't looking where I was walk-" She froze up once she got a better look of the two. "Holy… It's _you two_!"

"Eh?" the aforementioned said back in unison.

"You two were in the dorm room next to mine my first year of Ryoko U! I don't remember _your_ name," she explained as she pointed a finger at Sawako, "but _you_," she then said as she aimed at Nanako, "I know who you are! You're Nanako Kuroi!"

"H-How do you know that?" the blonde asked.

"I was roomed with Yui Kobayakawa- No, wait, she's Yui _Narumi_ now- that was next to your room. Anyway, she said that you're a teacher to her little cousin: Konata Izumi."

"Izumi!" Nanako repeated. "No way! T-That's a huge coincidence!"

"Yeah, no kidding… So, what brings you back here?"

Sawako answered "Just catching up on the past, I suppose. What brings _you_ here?"

"Oh, some students of mine that graduated last year are here on campus somewhere. I've been trying to find them… Aw screw it. I'm too tired to look any longer. Hell, I'd rather go have a drink." She paused to think for a second. "Hey, wanna join in? Catch up on old times?"

The two wives responded with a unisoned "You bet!"

-o0o-

With great trepidation, Tsukasa opened the door to her sister Kagami's room. She poked her head through to find the pig-tailed girl at her desk, immersed in her schoolwork. Normally, Tsukasa would have slipped back out and come back another time, perhaps when Kagami was not clearly as busy, but today was different. She had put off this moment for longer than she had already wanted, and she had vowed to herself not a few minutes ago that _today_ would be the day.

"Um, Onee-chan?" she whispered.

Kagami lifted her head from her work and pivoted her chair around. "Oh, hey Tsuaksa," she said back. It was clear that she was slightly lacking in energy, as tonight seemed to be a heavy homework night for her. "Something up?" she casually asked.

"Um, could I come in for a sec?" When her inquiry was met with a head nod, the short-haired girl let herself in and closed the door behind her. She walked across the room and sat herself on the edge of her sister's bed. And there she sat, silent, her eyes glued to her feet.

"… Something wrong?" Kagami then asked.

The sister shifted her weight, portraying nervousness. "Um, I, uh, wanted to tell you something," she began, her voice still a whisper. "I-It's about what I said before, when we fought against Yamanaka-san's students."

_Onee-chan, I love you_.

Kagami didn't need her sister to reiterate it for her to figure out what she was referring to. "O-Oh…" her voice cracked. "Y-Yeah?"

"… I-I know I said that it was the first thing I could think of, b-but… The truth is… I've wanted to say it for a while now."

The pencil in Kagami's hand slipped from her finger tips and fell to the carpeted floor, giving no sound when it made contact. She immediately got up from her chair and took a seat next to her sister's right on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on her right shoulder. "T-Tsukasa?" she said, _her_ voice now showing nervousness. "W-What are you saying!"

Tsukasa took in a deep breath, and then shakily released it before looking up to meet her sister's gaze. One could _see_ the apprehension they swam in. "O-Onee-chan…" She paused. "I… I…"

Action replaced words. Tsukasa leaned her head forward and lightly pressed her lips against her sister's. In the same motion forward, she scooted herself to her right and brought her arms around Kagami's waist in a tight embrace. This all caught the tsundere by complete surprise, a shock that rendered her paralyzed, a petrifaction Tsukasa took advantage of. If she was going to admit her feelings, she thought to herself, she was going to go all out.

The short-haired girl continued to lean forward and to her right, causing Kagami to fall backwards onto the bed. She suddenly found herself _beneath_ Tsuakasa, and the bond of their mouths had yet to break. She continued even _further_ beyond, slipping her tongue into the other's mouth, gingerly stroking it against the other's. Throughout _all_ of this, Kagami had remained wide-eyed and frozen, her body physically unable to react from the stun.

After a minute or two, Tsukasa finally lifted her head and the oral bond was broken. A single string of saliva remained strung between the two for a brief second before finally snapping. Still physically petrified, Kagami could only look back up at her sister's now enamored eyes looking down back at her. "Onee-chan," Tsukasa whispered,

"I love you."

Words could simply not escape Kagami's lips. The entirety of what had just occurred left her as rigid as a board atop her bed, unable to speak. Tsukasa was not sure what to make of this reaction. Was this her way of rejecting her admission? Was this a show of submission, a wordless way of saying "More"? "Onee-chan?" she asked her, only to be met with the same unmoving, surprised stare.

She took this as her que to leave. It seemed her efforts were all for not. Slowly, she lifted herself off of Kagami and stood up from off the bed. "O-Ok… I'll just go then…" But she made no more than two steps toward the door when the Kagami finally managed words.

"… When did you figure this out?" she asked.

Tsukasa whipped around to the bed to find her sister sitting back upright. Her expression had softened just a bit, but still maintained a bit of shock. "W-Well," Tsukasa replied, "I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but I think it was when I was little."

"… So you kept quiet about it all this time then?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so."

Kagami stood up. She took the three steps forward to Tsukasa and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, looking back into the other's eyes. Now, they showed pools of lost hope, a feeling of hopelessness. "Tsukasa… Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"… Y-You mean, you're not mad?"

"_Mad_? Why would I be mad about something like this? You're my _sister_. Having these feelings is not something to be mad about, but bottling them up like you're doing cannot be good for you. You should have said something earlier."

"B-But I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure if they were real or not."

"But they're your _feelings_, Tsukasa. You should listen to them, and _speak up_ about them. If you had told me about this earlier, I would have helped you."

"H-Helped? Onee-chan, are you saying… You feel the same way about me?" The hope in her voice was palpable.

But her question was initially met with Kagami's averted eyes. "I… I'm not sure," she replied. "I can't say I've ever had feelings for another girl before. Also, this whole thing is such a big shock to me. I don't know if I _can_ show love back to you that can match yours…" She locked her eyes back onto Tsukasa's. "But for _you_, Tsukasa, I'm willing to try."

"Oh, Onee-chan…"

Tuskasa returned her arms around her sister's waist, and this time, Kagami returned the gesture with her arms. Then, _both_ leaned their heads forward and brought their lips together. There was no tongue in this exchange, but the kiss was more excitable nonetheless for one simple reason: _both_ were taking part in it. Express her feelings in such a way (nevermind the fact that it is with her sister) was all new to Kagami. She was not sure if she could truly return the feelings Tsukasa had for her…

But for her sister, she was willing to do all that she could.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Oh me, oh my! For a second chapter it was quite lengthy, was it not? But a lot occurred, so it makes sense. We learned many things today: Miki was a horrid bitch when she was younger, for one. Oh and referneces references... Well, the "And no one ate dinner that night" is from the Persona 4 dubs on Youtube, the British professor's name is an obvious "Naruto" refernece, the two new inhabitants of Room 414 are Tomo Takino and Koyomi Mizuhara of Azumanga Daioh, as Yukari Tanazaki makes her third appearance in the series.

And now, Tuskasa admits her feelings to her sister. Now that I think about it, this confession scene is in _stark_ contrast to that of "Artistic Intricacies," the first story I had a Hiiragi twincest romance in. In Intricacies, Kagami met the confession with strong emotional barriers of anger toward her sister, brought on by the confusion created by Hiyori. But this time around, I portrayed Kagami's more vulnerable, sensitive side, as _this_ confession sees to come out of _nowhere_ for her.

Well, we will be returning to "Konatsu" in the next chapter. Review at your leasure, and Happy Readings!


	3. The First Date

Chapter 3

"_Dude, are you fucking stupid! Snipe the prick!_"

"_You got retard hands or something? Can't hold the fucking mouse right?_"

"_YOU FUCKING SUCK!_"

Satoshi sighed. "And _this_ is why I like playing IRL shooting games, like airsoft," he muttered to himself. "Less assholes."

Satoshi Tainaka looked at the score screen at the end of his Counter Strike: Source match. To make a long story short, his team (him as well) got decimated by a _wide_ margin. In fact, Satoshi's self-chosen "gaming name" was placed at the very bottom of the list, meaning he not only scored the least amount of kills, but accumulated the most deaths of his team. And his assigned team players did well to remind him of this.

"_Sato," _screamed one child (because the sound of his voice portrayed that it was indeed a little boy playing this), "_you can't fucking play this game for shit! Just fucking uninstall if you can't fucking pl _-"

***Player "Satoshi has disconnected from the server***

The boy tore off his headset and threw it at the keyboard in frustration. "Do these kids _really_ think that swearing like that makes them sound cool?" he asked aloud to no one in particular. "… I need something to drink."

This was one of the best things, to Satoshi, about having a computer in his room: the ability to play his online shooting games as much as he desired. There was a time where he would play them on the family computer, placed in the downstairs living room, but one can only listen to the expletives of another for so long before snapping. So, his parents bought another computer and put it in the boy's room. They were not going to deprive him of his entertainment (as it was not _Satoshi_ making these horrid comments through the mic) but they were sure as hell not going to _listen_ to it, not if they could help it.

Plus, the ability to look at porn in the safety of his room was something Satoshi quickly learned was a secondary blessing of having his own computer.

After quitting the game, Satoshi got up from his computer desk and left his room. He casually made his way toward the opposite end of the hallway, where the staircase would bring him downstairs, to the kitchen, where his refreshments awaited.

But something caused him to stop: A few spoken words that emanated beyond the closed door of her sister's room.

"_Until **what**?_" Ritsu's voice said from beyond, her tone indicated clear irritation. "_Until we **fuck**? Is that what you were about to say!_"

Satoshi nearly tripped over himself. His now widened eyes turned to the door to his left, from where the voice sounded. "_What the-? Was that Nee-chan?_" he asked within his head. "_And who was she talking to?_"

He decided to listen further, keeping his distance from the door itself. As he did so, he could have sworn that there was another voice from inside. It was hard for him to tell (playing shooting games with headphones set to full volume has its effects on hearing, you see.) But as his hearing returned to him, his suspicions seemed more and more true: indeed there _was_ someone else in the room with her sister. But the question _now_ was "Who?"

"_Could it be some boy?_" he once more thought to himself. "_Could be, but what guys does Nee-chan know? Not many, from what I've seen. The only people I've seen her hang out with are her friends from the high school… her very **hot** friends…_"

As it is perhaps natural with all thirteen year old boys, girls were a becoming a thing of interest for the now maturing male. And as such, his sister's attractive friends became the visual aids for many of his late night "stress-reducing exercises." Among the most frequented was Ritsu's best of friends: Mio, whose budding breasts were something to be admired, especially for a girl of her age. Another was Mugi, who's foreign (perhaps European) looks (as well as _her_ own commendable bosom) made for a grand contrast to the sea of Japanese citizens around him.

But all this is beside the point, as there was always time for Satoshi to masturbate later. Right now, he still needed to know who else was beyond the door to her sister's room. "_M-Maybe I can take a quick peek and see. Ok Satoshi, you can do this. Nice and steady._" The boy Tainaka crept forward, using what tactics Splinter Cell taught him. The door was not locked, so there was no need to pick the lock (_or obtain the door code,_ he joked within his head.) With now shaking fingers, he clutched the doorknob, turned it as slowly as he could, and opened the door just enough to get a peek inside.

And get a peek he did.

One glance was all it took for him to see what was occurring within. On the other side of the table placed on the floor of her room Ritsu sat. And there was one other in the room: a blue haired girl (who looked to be his age, perhaps a little younger) sat _atop_ Ritsu, atop her right leg. Both had their arms wrapped around the other's waist, and their faces were _very_ close together.

"_Holy…_"

_RETREAT! RETREAT! RETREAT!_

Satoshi, as quietly as he could, made a dash away from the door. He nearly threw himself down the stairs and turned the corner into the first door on the left: the bathroom. Once there, he filled the sink with cold water and began the process of splashing it on his face. _Anything_ to cool himself off would do at this point.

He looked at his own stunned visage in the medicine cabinet's mirror as his mind began to race. "_What the fu-! What the **fuck** did I just see! I-It looked like Nee-chan, but there was someone else in the room with her, another girl, and it looked like they were about to- AAH!_"

He splashed more water onto his face, whipping it away with a hand towel shortly after. Though a pervert he might have been (and at age thirteen, what boy _isn't_?) he had _never_ imagined _anything_ of such a nature involving his own flesh and blood. So to see something like this today, happening right before his eyes, it nearly caused the young lad to have a heart attack. _"W-What the heck is Nee-chan **doing!** W-Who was that other girl! And why were they hugging each other like that!_"

He continued to look at his own reflection in the small bathroom for what was to him an unknown amount of time. He continued to ponder alike questions in his mind, but no answers came to him. Finally, he released himself from the bathroom, walked himself into the kitchen, and retrieved a bottle of Mountain Dew from the refrigerator. He had taken a few loud gulps from the twenty ounce bottle when there came a voice from the other end of the kitchen.

"Hi there."

It was female… but not Nee-chan.

Satoshi nearly choked from fright on his last gulp as he turned to the source of the voice. The very same blue haired girl that he witnessed inches from his sister's face stood before him, grinning a cat-like grin. "You Ricchan's brother or something?" she asked him.

_"Ricchan? Only Nee-chan's friends call her that, so maybe this girl **is** a friend of hers. I mean, she would **have** to be to come close to doing- Damnit, stop going there!_"

"Y-Yeah," the boy finally managed to speak back. "I'm Ritsu's bother: S-Satoshi." He gave the visitor a quick bow. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the girl said back, returning the bow with a quick one of her own. "I didn't know Ricchan had a brother. How old are you?"

"T-thirteen, same age as you."

The girl immediately scrunched up her brow at this. "Hey!" she snapped back. "I'm not a kid, you little punk. I'm just as old as Ricchan, got that?"

"_W-What! This girl is as old as Nee-chan? But she looks only a little older than **I** do. Not to mention her chest is… **flat**. Then again, Nee-chan's chest is-WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!_"

"O-Oh, sorry about that," Tainaka quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to say that you were a kid. You just, sort of, _look_ younger than you are."

"Humph," said Konata. She was clearly still put off at indirectly being called a kid. "Well, I _guess_ that's a bit better… Well, nice talking to ya, but I got to get going. See ya!" The girl turned and made back toward the front door, but Satoshi stopped her.

"W-Wait!" he called out to her. "You and Nee-chan, you're… _friends_, right?"

When she turned back to Satoshi, the grin that materialized nearly gave Satoshi the answer _for _her, but she still replied with a sing-songy "Maybe~" before exiting through the front door.

"… What did she mean by 'Maybe'?"

-o0o-

"Yoo-hoo! Ricchan, over here!"

Saturday finally came about, the day of Ritsu and Konata's first date. The blue-haired teacher in question waved across the crowded train station lobby to Ritsu, who stood thirty feet away, the two of them blocked by a river of people. It literally took the drummer twenty seconds to push her way through the crowd.

"Jeez," the now flustered girl voiced once she got within speaking distance of Konata. "How the heck is anyone expected to move around here with all these people!"

"Oh it's not that bad once you master the art of crowd stealth. You just got to 'gentle push' them, like Altair."

"… Who?" Ritsu deadpanned back.

"You know, the Master Assassin. _Altair_!"

"… Sorry, not ringing a bell."

"Oh nevermind. Anyway, you showed up, and that's good. We can proceed with the teachings."

"Uh, yeah, about that. Y-You're not going to be calling this the- The 'D-word' out here in public, are you?"

"What, do you mean _date_?" Ritsu flinched, and already, passersby were giving the two girls quick glances. "Is there something wrong with calling it that, Ricchan? Is that not what you want to do with Mio?"

"Y-Yes, it is! But with all these people around, it might be awkward."

Oh, is that so?" The otaku's eyebrows narrowed slightly. "And how do you think it's going to be with _Mio_, hmm? If you don't get use to it now, you might _never_ get use to it."

"… Damnit. When you're right, you're right, Konata. *Sigh* Ok. Well, since you're leading, where are we going first?"

Konata met Tainaka's query by side-stepping to her left, interlocking her right arm into the other's left, and leading her out of the lobby. As expected, Ritsu's face turned a shade of pinkish-red, but she suppressed her urge to voice an outcry. "_It's all for Mio_," she kept telling herself.

After leading her date out of the lobby, Konata headed her way across the town toward a certain manga stop she _very_ often frequented: Gamers. From what interactions Ritsu had had with Konata, she figured her out to be the otaku type, so when she was brought to this shop first, she wasn't _too_ surprised.

"Did you, uh, have something in mind you wanted to buy?" Ritsu asked Izumi as they entered through the front door.

"Oh, nothing really," she replied with. "I'm going to check out the "New Release" section, but you're free to look wherever. Don't worry, I won't feel heartbroken because you've left my side." She made it clear that the last sentence was a joke.

"Riiight…" Ritsu, for the first time since leaving the train station, broke her arm-lock of Konata and began her aimless browsing of the isles. Konata, meanwhile, headed for her aforementioned destination, where she began to take out volume after volume of manga issues. It took her twenty minutes of browsing before she finally was settled with her haul.

She began to head to the front desk with her stack of ten issues, but as she ventured closer, she became more and more aware of yelling near the counter. It wasn't until she finally reached the counter until she saw who was doing it: Ritsu Tainaka herself was in the midst of argument with the employee behind the cashier: an older man, dressed in an outrageous costume (complete with giant spiky black hair) that made him look like a nineties shounen character.

"NOOOOOO WAAAAAAAAY!" the man exploded, giving off much more dramatics than what was perhaps necessary. "You _cannot_ stand before me and say with confidence that Frieza could beat Cell in a fight! It's unheard of!"

"Well _I_ say he _could_!" Tainaka shot back. "Frieza had the power to destroy a planet! He could have beaten Cell _easily_ with one of those attacks!"

"Cell possessed that power to destroy planets as well! You're argument is invalid!"

"It is _not!_ If a single attack has enough energy to destroy a planet, I'm _pretty_ sure it'd have the energy to destroy every cell in Cell's body, including his core! It doesn't matter if he's more powerful. An inescapable, planet-killing blast is all that's needed to take him out, and Frieza has done that maybe _hundreds_ of times!"

"But you are missing a critical point: Cell is more powerful than Frieza, so he wouldn't have a chance to get off an attack like that! Future Trunks took out Mecha Frieza with little effort at all. And by the time Cell arrived, Trunks was only stronger than what he was before. But not only did he take _him_ on easily, but all the _other_ warriors as well! Even at his full power, Frieza would have still been defeated by Cell!"

"Not if he attacked from space! Frieza destroyed the Saiyan planet with a blast a quarter the size of the planet itself! There's no _way_ Cell could escape an attack of that size, and even _if_ he managed to escape the blast, the destruction of the planet would have killed him anyway!"

Izumi watched from a distance at the back and forth, both pleasantly surprised that Ritsu was adamant in her like of at least _one_ anime, and _worried_ that this argument would end in a bad conclusion. So Konata stepped forward, catching the two's attention. "Uh, what the heck is going on here?" she asked both.

"Konata, glad you're here!" said Ritsu. "Tell this guy off for me. Frieza could _definitely_ defeat Cell in a fight if he did a planet-killing attack, right?"

The employee's eyes shot open at the sight of Konata. "Oh my Goooood! It's her! The Legendary Girl A!" He turned back to Tainaka. "Are you associated with the Legendary Girl A?"

"Legendary Girl…? Sounds like what Nanako and Sawako are called. Strange… But uh, yeah, I _guess_ I am."

"Then I must confess my sincerest apologies to you, ma'am! Anyone associated with the Legendary Girl A must be treated like royalty! Can you ever forgive my foolishness!"

"… Uh, sure," Ritsu said back. "… So, Konata, I see you got yourself a haul."

"Oh, this?" she said back. "No, not really. I usually get more than this on an average day." She put the stack on the counter before asking "Did _you_ get anything, Ricchan?"

"Oh just this." Ritsu placed a single item adjacent to the ones Konata had picked out: it was a DVD of the first season of (wouldn't you know it) Dragon Ball Z. Both Konata and the employee gave her a look of "Seriously?"

"What?" Ritsu said back at their stares. "It's a good show."

-o0o-

The two left Gamers in a quite tone, Ritsu holding her small plastic bag and Konata clutching her larger paper one. "Uh, sorry about that, Konata," Ritsu apologized. "I didn't mean go off like that, but that guy was so freaking hot-headed… Also, what's this 'Legendary Girl A' stuff?"

"Oh don't worry about that, Ritsu," said Izumi back. "When someone's passionate about something, it's natural to get a _little_ intense about it. And the name? I'm not sure. It's just something people have been calling me. I hear it nearly every time I step into a game or manga store. Strange, huh?"

"Yeah, strange… So, uh, where to next? You have somewhere else to go?"

The arms interlocked again. "Yep. Just some arcade near here. Let's go!"

The couple once more made their way across the town to their intended destination. The arcade turned out to be only a few minutes away. Once inside, they each exchanged a few yen for tokens and they set off in search of a suitable game to play.

"Hey, Konata, how about that one?" Ritsu asked, pointing to a line of fighting game consoles. The machines were set up in such a way that two people would sit on opposite sides of on device and fight against each other. "I bet I could beat you in it."

Oh how bad of a choice in game Ritsu made. Unbeknownst to her, Konata was undefeated in that particular game. The girl in question grinned a sly grin. "Sure, Ritsu," she said back. "Let's do it." Her victory seemed inevitable.

Each girl took their positions at the game at the end of the row. They chose their fighters and an announced "FIGHT!" signaled the beginning of their match. Konata had chosen the fighter she was best at, so this fight was sure to result in her victory… or so she thought. Konata made her first punch, but it was countered and used against her. She then made a jumping kick, but _that_ was countered.

"_What the-?_" she thought. "_Maybe Ritsu **has **played this game before? Well it doesn't matter. I'm still going to be victorious!_" A few minutes later, the game ended… and Izumi was defeated.

Once the "GAME OVER" was announced through the speakers, both the girls poked their heads around the side of the machine, meeting each other's eyes. "Good gamer, huh?" Tainaka asked.

"… Uh, Ricchan? Have you ever played this game before?"

"Nope."

"_Huh? Then how the heck did she beat me? Beginners luck?_"

"Ok Ricchan, I want a rematch!" Konata added.

"Anytime, girl!" Tainaka shot back.

The two inserted more quarters and began another match.

Konata lost _again_.

"_This… This is **impossible!** How the hell is this chick beating me! I've **never** lost a match, and not I get beaten twice by someone that's never played the game before?_" This time, Konata got up her chair and walked over to the other side of the machine.

"What, no more?" said Ritsu.

"Ricchan, are you _sure_ you've never played this before?" Izumi asked.

"No, really, I haven't."

"T-Then… Show me how you played."

"Uh, actually, I don't know_ how_ to play fighting games like this, so I sort of just started hitting buttons. In the second game, I kind of pretended it was a drum set and made a rhythm of it."

"_I don't freaking believe it… I, an undefeated player, gets taken out by a damn button-masher… Who the hell is this girl!_

Uh, let's play something else…"

So the two moved on, migrating to another section of the arcade. The two tried their hands on a few other games: a few different shooting games that used plastic rifles as simulation aids, a racing game, and one bout of a rhythm game. Nearly all of each of the one thousand yen they exchanged for tokens was already spent.

But just as they were heading toward the door, Konata felt Ritsu grab her by the right arm and spin her around. "Hey, I _gotta_ try this one before we go!" Tainaka declared. Her right hand pointed toward another console, whose controller looked like an electronic drum set (with double base pedals). Izumi read the title aloud.

"Drum Hero…"

"I bet I can rack up a high score in _that_!" Already she was off. She manned the helm and grasped the drum sticks (which were securely connected by strong rubber tubes to the device itself) into her hands. "So… How exactly is this game played?"

Konata resisted the urge to facepalm. Instead, she walked over to Ritsu's left and pointed out how the game worked. "See how each part is color-coded? The screen will have the same colors fall down from the top toward the bottom, toward a line at the bottom. The very moment the colors reach that line, you hit the right instrument. You get points for linking combos by not missing any notes."

"Oh, ok. So it's kind of like that rhythm game we just played, huh… Ok, let's do it." Tainaka inserted a few tokens and began to scroll through the immense song list. She began at the top (where the easier songs were) and began to scroll downward, toward the more difficult ones. When she finally chose one, it was the second to the last.

"Uh, Ricchan, maybe you want to chose_ another_ song?" Konata advised. "This one might be too much for you."

The drummer merely looked at her and said "Relax. I got this." Then, when it came to choosing the difficulty, she chose "Insane," the highest one.

"_This is going to end badly…_" Izumi thought.

But once more today, the otaku was proven wrong. The second the color-coated notes came cascading down the screen at a blistering speed, the drumsticks began to slam against the drum set at an _amazing_ speed. Two seconds into song and the X4 multiplier was already hit. She had not missed one note.

Izumi stood back and watched in stunned shock as the girl continued her flawless performance. Already, a few of the arcade's other patrons began to crowd around, their visages displaying similar expressions of amazement. The song lasted for an astounding ten minutes, and the end results continued to produce amazed looks from the on lookers.

Ritsu Tainaka had _effortlessly_ achieved the highest score. She punched in "Kick Snare" as her name.

"Well, _that_ was fun," Ritsu grinned after she got up from the game and rejoined Konata. "We're you ready to leave?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I was… Actually, I was thinking we head to my house next."

"_Your_ house. Why would we-? Oh, let me guess. Yuri zone expansion?"

"You already know me well, Ricchan," she cat-grinned. "We'll go to my house because it's closer, ok?"

"*Sigh* Ok… What about your parents?"

"We'll figure something out."

-o0o-

Both the girls, after a short train ride and a walk from the station, arrived at the Izumi household. They slipped through the front door and kicked off their shoes in the foyer. "Dad, _tadaima!_" Konata said upon entering. She was met with no response.

"Are your parents away?" Ritsu asked.

"Not sure. Dad might be gone. _That_ or he's sleeping somewhere. He's a heavy sleeper."

"What about your mother?"

"Oh I don't have a mother," she casually replied.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it. You didn't know. She died shortly after she gave birth to me."

"Oh shi- Now I feel bad bringing it up."

"Seriously, it's ok, Ricchan." Konata continued into the hallway and poked her head into the living room, the first door on the left. Sure enough, her father, Sōjirō, was asleep in the living room, the lower half of his body slipped beneath the kotatsu, the news on the television. "_Excellent,_" Konata thought. "_With him asleep, Ricchan can get away with so much more_ _today_."

Konata led the drummer upstairs to the otaku's room. It was very much like Ritsu's room, (with the exception of the furniture being in different positions, a computer occupying the desk, and the shelf cluttered with manga and anime figurines.) There was also a small television set next to her bed.

"I don't have a table to sit at," said Izumi upon stepping inside, "so I _guess_ we'll have to sit on the _bed_."

Ritsu merely sighed at hearing this. She placed her bag next to the door and took her seat atop the bed. "So, uh, are we going to resume where we stopped? At… k-kissing?" Nervousness returned to her voice.

"Yep," the blue-haired girl replied. She placed her haul next to Ritsu's and sat down adjacent to her. "Let's resume where we last ended: hugging. So, Ritsu, if you don't mind?"

"Yeah yeah…" She parted her legs once again to allow the other to sit atop her leg. Their arms migrated around each other into a similar embrace, their faces brought closer together. But before they commenced, Konata had something to say. "Oh, Ricchan, about our date today: you did a good job. Though you didn't know it, you did something may people forget to do on first dates."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"To have _fun_, of course. Most people are too focused on making the other person happy that they themselves suffer because of it. Thought I'm not saying you shouldn't make the other person happy, you should try to have fun as well. Trust me, your dating companion can sense if you're bored or unpleased, and it greatly brings down the entire mood."

"Hmm. Wow, I never thought of it that way. You're really smart, Konata," Ritsu commended.

"Hehe, thanks… Now then, whenever you're ready…" Konata shut her eyes once more and awaited Ritsu's advance.

Once more, the situation was placed in Ritsu's hands. The feelings of anxiety returned, causing her to seize up again. "_Damnit, I'm stalling again_," Tainaka thought. "_I… I'm not going to be able to do it! No, I **have** to. If I can't get past this, I won't be able to do anything with Mio._

_ Wait, that's it! Maybe if I imagined Konata as Mio…_"

Ritsu shut _her_ eyes and filled her thought with only one thing: Mio's image. She detailed ever thought around it: her head of long raven hair, her sharp gray eyes, the pale of her flawless skin, her extraordinary breasts, breasts she wanted nothing more than to seize her grasp of. Such visions not only occupied her mind, but caused her body to become hot as well, producing a tingle that crept up and down her spine.

And suddenly, it became easy. The drummer plunged her head forward and met her lips to Konata's, locking them tight around the other's mouth. The otaku voiced a surprised yet sensual moan in response to the kiss, but within her head, she was cheering for joy. "_Yes! Finally, Ricchan, you did it! You finally- AAH!_" She voiced another muffled reaction when she shortly after felt a tongue enter her mouth. _Ritsu's_ tongue. Konata eased her eyes open and looked upon Tainaka's face. Though _her_ eyes were closed, she could read the other's expression: she was _thoroughly_ into it, and not a willing participant like she was last time.

"_Oh Ricchan, you really **do** mean this, don't you? You're not just going through the motions this time. This embrace, this kiss, it's all **you**… You **do** have feelings for me, don't you? Just as I have them for you!_"

Mio's image continued to burn within Ritsu's mind as she continued to kiss Konata. But she was no longer kissing Izumi: in her head, she really thought she was holding Mio Akiyama, and it was _her_ lips she was sucking on. It was these self-induced illusions that drove her body further forward, bringing herself on top of 'Mio.' Her right hand slid down her side and reached for her left buttocks cheek, her fingers grasping at its softness. But then as the same hand reached for 'Mio's' chest, to her glorious mounds, Ritsu felt noting. Nothing but a flat surface where her breasts would have been.

And in that instant, the illusion was broken.

Ritsu's eyes reopened to see Konata beneath her, her arms lifted over head, her cheeks red with pleasure. Her chest heaved up and down with ecstasy-latent breaths. A trail of sliva ran down both corners of her mouth. Her green eyes opened shortly after hers did. They looked up at the sandy-brunette above her and she whispered in breaths "You stopped…"

"… I-I want to stop," Ritsu said back in equally heavy breaths, "before we went any further, you see."

"B-But _why_? We got so far today: second base. After that is third, and then-"

"Y-Yeah, I _know_ my baseball, Konata… It's just, I needed to push myself today, to get as far as I could, but I'm not ready to go any further. Besides, I got _this_ far by imagining that-" She stopped herself from going further. Though it was the truth, Ritsu was _not_ so heartless as to tell Konata that she imagined her as another girl, as _Mio_. Even though she was her teacher in all of this, she was unsure if Konata would have been offended by this.

"Imagined what?" Izumi asked.

"N-Nothing… Uh, Konata, would it be ok if I headed home now? I, uh, kind of want to, I don't know, think stuff over. You know what I mean?"

Izumi screamed obscenities within her own head. She didn't want Ritsu to go, not yet. Her body _ached_ for the want of he passion they had just shared to continue. She wanted it to continue the _whole way_… But it was not her place to say anything. She was the teacher, after all, and it was the student's rule that dictated the directions their studies went. It was all Ritsu's doing, and if she said 'No', then it _didn't_ happen.

The otaku hid her frustration well. "… Ok, sure," she replied. "I think we did well today anyway. You may head off, my padawan… When can we resume?" she then asked.

"Uh… a week from now, I guess. That's when I have free time next. The band keeps me busy during the week, you know?"

"Right, right… Ok, see you then. Oh, try to be quite when you walk past dad. Though I did say he's a heavy sleeper, you never know."

"Ok." Tainaka, after getting herself off both Konata and the bed, straightened her clothing out and grabbed her stuff by the door. "See ya," was what she said as she exited the room and shut the door behind her.

Konata listen to the other's footsteps as she walked down the stairs. Once she heard the distance noise of the front door shutting, she resisted her urges no longer. Her right hand made a direct journey into the front of her pants and she began to furiously pleasure herself, the image of Ritsu still burning in her mind.

"_Damnit, damnit, damnit! Why did you stop, Ricchan? **Why**! Do you not see me as beautiful anymore? You said that I was beautiful, remember? Or are you not willing to go any farther with **me**, only with **Mio**?_

_ Because **I** would, Ricchan. I would do **anything** for you, to **be** with you. Jesus, you drive me mad whenever we're close. I… I… A-AAH!"_

And as Konata reached a climax, one that made her entire body shake, Konata cried out.

"I love you! Ritsu!"

-o0o-

Ritsu returned home later that day, later on that afternoon. She stepped back through her front door knowing her parents were away again (they were courteous enough to leave her a text message detailing where they were. She received it on the train ride back.) "_Tadaima,_" she deadpanned as she entered and took off her shoes. She was greeted with the sound of the television in the living room, accompanied by Satoshi's voice.

"Hi Nee-chan," he said back.

She followed the voice to the aforementioned room. The boy sat atop a couch against the right wall, an anime playing on the flat screen on the wall opposite the open doorway she had just walked through. She looked at the screen, then back to her brother. "Dragon Ball Z, eh?" she commented.

"Yep," he said back. "Gohan's fighting Cell right now."

"Hmm…" Her voice sounded disinterested. "I'm going to my room." She was just about to head out of the room when Satoshi spoke again.

"Nee-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"… That girl. The one with the blue hair. Is she a friend of yours?"

"… Y-Yeah. A friend."

"_Just_ friend?"

The female Tainaka whipped back around to look her brother in the eye. "What does _that_ mean!" she shot back. "You trying to say something, you little twerp!"

The boy stood up from the couch. His stance was one of defiance. "I saw you, Nee-chan," he declared. "I saw what you and that girl were doing. Nee-chan, what would Mom and Dad say about this!"

Ritsu seemed to back down, the defiant attitude she just exhibited gone in a flash. "W-Well, I, uh..." She then suddenly approached her brother and once within arm's reach placed a hand of his shoulders. "Satoshi, _please_, you have to promise me you won't tell Mom or Dad. This- This is important to me."

"I-Important? Nee-chan, what's this all about?"

The girl Tainaka paused in hesitation. "I... I need to figure something out, ok? I to figure out... _myself_..." Satoshi's face was unchanged at this as he was not sure as what she had just said. "And if Mom or Dad or _anyone_ else finds out about it, I'm afraid things will get over complicated. Know what I mean? Satoshi?"

And in an instant, the boy _did_ know what his sister meant. When he was twelve, one of his best friends from school, a boy named Tamaki, admitted that he liked him. It took Satoshi by compete surprise. To be told this at such a young age really put him in an awkward position, and for the next few days, he began to question even _himself_, his _own_ sexuality. But after much thought he declined his friend's advance, and to this day, the two are _still_ friends. That moment exists now as a memory only those two share, a secret hidden from the rest of the world.

"... Yes, Nee-chan. I get you," he finally replied, a smile finally materializing on his face. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

The boy suddenly found himself in the gripping hug of his sister. "Thanks, Sato," Ritsu said. "Listen, I know I bag on you a lot, but you're not a bad kid. I'm sure there's someone out there for _you_."

The boy's face turned a slight shade of pink. Being on the recieveing end of this kind of affection (forget the face it was his sister) was something he was not use to. "T-Thanks... Nee-chan? Does this mean that you and the blue-haired girl are-?"

"No." Ritsu released her hug and took a step back. "She and I are _not_ 'together.' She's helping me learn to be more comfortable in expressing my feelings." The girl's face turned a shade of pink as well, something Satoshi was _definitely_ not use to seeing Ritsu have. "She's helping me be more confident, so I can confess to the person I _really_ like."

O-Oh..." his voice cracked, and after a long pause, he cautiously asked Ritsu "Who _do_ you like, Nee-chan?"

She left the room without answering.

* * *

**[Author's Notes] **The last part I changed. It origionally had Satoshi confront Ritsu, then Ritsu go "dickhead big brother" on him and threatening Sato with his life not to squeal. But **Yaaga** was kind enough to point out that this was quite OOC on Ritsu's part, so I changed it to what it is now. I think it's better this way. Thanks, Yaaga.


	4. A Night Best Forgotten

Chapter 4

Know the one where three teachers walk into a bar?

No?

Well, you're about to find out…

-o0o-

Three inebriated figures stumbled out of a bar located but a few blocks from the campus itself, into the cool midnight air: a blonde and two brunettes. One of the brunettes and the blonde hung onto each other's shoulders for support while the odd-woman-out managed to stand well enough on her own. The trio stepped out into the sidewalk and stood apart from each other.

"Man!" said Yukari, her voice showing _clear_ intoxication. "I ain't never seen anyone drink like _you two_ in a _long_ while! You guys deserve fucking medals or something!"

"T-Thank you," Sawako slurred back. "You ain't bad yourself, _bitch!_" She gave the one cling onto her a quick glance. Nanako looked like she was an inch from falling asleep. "I gotta get this sexy hunk of ass home. You make it home good too, Yukari?"

"Oh yeah! Don't you *hic* worry 'bout me. I'll _walk_ my drunken ass home. You two be safe now! And hey! If you see Yui again, tell I said 'Hi'."

"Sure thing." As Tanazaki headed off down the sidewalk in one direction, Sawako and Nanako set off back toward the campus, which was in the other direction. Kuroi was able to walk on her own two legs (given she _was_ leaning on her wife), but with what little strength she was exerting in her legs, Sawako might as well have been dragging her.

At a slow rate the two returned to the campus. They cut through the courtyards in the center of the campus to reach the public parking lot more quickly. As they stumbled ever forward, a few students that were still awake and outside (most likely doing partying of their own) saw the inebriated couple and cheered them on with congratulatory "Woo!"s. Sawako just smiled back at them and continued forward.

Eventually the two did return to the Mustang. Yamanaka basically tossed Kuroi into the passenger seat and buckled her in before sitting in the driver seat herself. She retrieved her keys form he purse and was _just_ about to turn on the engine… but she paused. For a split second in time, she thought about the decision she was about to make. Her drunken head struggled to think back to her teachings as a kid, to the _countless_ number of seminars she was forced to endure that warned kids of the dangers of illegal and addictive substances. Sawako thought that perhaps she shouldn't-

"Fuck it."

The Mustang's engine roared to life and rolled out of the parking lot, making it way to the streets on its return journey home. And a shaky journey it was. Perhaps it was a good thing Nanako had conked out the second they started moving, because she would have not had to bear witness to Yamanaka's drunk driving. The vintage car seemed to glide across the left side of the street, back and forth across the width of the lane, sometimes jerking into a turn with a squeal of the tires.

Sawako looked half asleep herself behind the wheel, as if any moment she could dose off. In fact, for a few moments, her eyes closed for seconds at a time, only to shoot open a moment later. "Stay away, damnit," Sawako muttered to herself. "Stay awake. You can do this, just keep… awake…" Her eyes drifted closed and-

"SAWAKO! LOOK OUT!"

Nanako's voice ripped through the other's ears and jolted her from her sleep, giving her just enough time to cut the wheel right and avoid hitting a tree on the side of the road head-on.

Both were _wide_ awake now. The car seemed to cease its lazy movements, now becoming firmly attached to the road's center. Both wives sat without motion (except Sawako, of course, who had to steer the car) but both had their eyes aimed straight forward, unmoving from fright.

"… S-S-Sawako?" Kuroi finally managed to stutter past her lips. "W-Where are w-we?"

"Uh…" Sawako made a quick glance out her driver-side window. In this dead of night, it was hard to pin-point one's exact placement at a glance. "Not sure. But I'm driving us home, I know that."

"Y-You're _driving_!" She exclaimed this as if she were just figuring this out at that exact moment. "But you had more to drink than _I_ did! You shouldn't be driving!"

"I-I know, Kuroi, I know. Just stay calm and let me get us home, ok?"

"But you should pull over _now_ before we _actually_ hit something. Or worse, we-"

Red and blue lights illuminated the dashboard, lights that bled through the back window. The two instantly knew what trailed behind them, and in unison, they yelled "FUCK!"

"Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit, _damnit!_" the blonde continued to moan in fear. "This is not good. This is _so_ **_not_** fucking good! It's the police. Sawako, what are we-"

"Relax," said Sawako.

"… W-Wha-? _Relax_?"

"It's going to be ok, Nanako. Just stay calm, sit still, and don't say a _fucking_ word. I think I might be able to talk us out of this."

"But Sawako, you're still drunk! How are you-?"

"I _said_ I _got_ this." The Mustang pulled over to the left of the road, the police cruiser parking a good distance behind them. It was only seconds before the police officer stepped out, but to the others (namely Nanako) each second felt like an eternity. The officer calmly strode over to the driver door, lit flashlight in hand, and aimed the light into the interior through the driver-side window.

"Roll down your window, Ma'am," the man's slightly muffled voice sounded from the other side of the glass. Sawako quickly used the hand crank and the window slid into the door. "How you two doing tonight?" he then asked. The flashlight obscured his facial features.

Sawako turned to look the officer in the eye and calmly asked him this:

"Problem, officer?"

"_That's it, we're done for_," Kuroi cried in her head.

"… Saw you do a little swerve back there. What have you two been up to tonight?"

"We just got back from Ryoko University," Yamanaka explained. Nanako was surprised that her wife was able to mostly (if not completely) take out the drunken slur in her voice she had exhibited not a few minutes before. Perhaps she _could_ talk their way out of this. "We don't go there _now_, obviously, but we did years ago. We kind of gave ourselves a little tour, you know?"

"That so? I have a daughter that goes there now. Top of her class."

"Really? That's nice. You must be proud of her." Sawako attempted to make idle chit-chat in an attempt to distract the officer.

It didn't work. "License and registration, please," he suddenly demanded.

"_Well, it almost looked like Sawako had him, but it seems he's not one for chit-chat,_" Kuroi thought to herself. Sawako retrieved her wallet from her back pocket, slipped from it her driver's license, and handed it over. The officer finally lowered the beam of the torch from off the two's face and brought it down to the piece of plastic. The two finally got a good look at him… and he was _scary_. It was as if they hired a muscular, thug-like character and put him in a cop's uniform.

After a few seconds of examination, he handed the card back. "So, _after_ this little reunion, you two do some partying at all? Relive some college binging, eh?"

"N-No officer," Yamanaka replied, accidentally letting slip the slight fearful stutter. "We haven't had anything to-"

"Yes we have!"

The blonde's conscious got the better of her and she blurted out those words. Both the gazes of Sawako and the officer fell directly upon her, and while the former gave her a sharp glare, the officer merely raised an eyebrow. "_Crap. I-I didn't mean to say that, but I- I just **did!** Now we're in even more shit!_"

"Your friend there ok?" he asked the driver.

"H-Her?" Yamanaka said back. "Yeah, she's fine. _She_ had a bit to drink, but _I_ didn't."

"So you admit to your friend here drinking this evening, am I right? But _you_ didn't?"

"Yes, officer."

"So you _both_ wouldn't mind stepping out of the vehicle and doing a breathalyzer test then, would you?"

Sawako paused. "… Y-Yeah, sure, n-no problem." There was no denying _now_ that she was nervous. Knowing that _both_ their fates were sealed by now, the girls slowly got out of their seats, out of the warmth of the car's interior, and in back into the chilled night air. "Make a line on the passenger side," the officer ordered. Once in said line (Sawako standing to Kuroi's left), the officer walked back to his car to retrieve the breathalyzer.

"… S-Sawako," Nanako whispered to her.

"Yeah?" she whispered back.

"… I don't think we're talking our way out if this anymore."

"Gee, ya _think_?" she spat back. "I fucking knew that the second the colored lights turned on."

"But you said you had this covered-"

"I was bluffing, ok. I didn't want you to start having a mental breakdown or some shit. That would have only made things worse. Plus, I didn't want you to worry."

"O-Oh…" the blonde's voice cracked. Though she did it in a somewhat roundabout way, Sawako was thinking of Kuroi this entire time (at least after the red and blues began to flash.) The officer returned with the device in-hand. "Ok ladies, know how to use this thing?" When both nodded, he approached Nanako and held the device in front of her.

Kuroi took a pause and a deep breath in before wrapping her lips around the breathalyzer's nozzle and blowing air into it. The device beeped after four seconds of continuous blowing. He regarded the display on the other side for a moment, raising an eyebrow as he did. And after he swapped nozzles for a clean one, Sawako did the same.

When he got both their readings, he brought his gaze to the both of them and shook his head. "Guess what ladies?" They said nothing back. "You're _both_ drunk. You _both_ scored a 0.12. That's _four times_ over the national legal limit."

"_Four_?" Sawako blurted back. "That's insane! The American limit is only 0.08!"

"I don't make the laws. I just enforce them. Now then, the _both _of you, turn around and place your hands on the roof of the vehicle."

You could literally _see_ the two's hearts sink in their chest. The wives pivoted one hundred eighty degrees before placing their palms atop the car's roof. Soon after they heard the clang of handcuffs. Sawako was the first to have her arms pulled behind her and linked together, Nanako immediately after. "Ok, to the car, both of you."

Both grabbed by a wrist, the two were led to the squad car, brought to the back driver-side door. Nanako was pushed in first, she quickly slid over to the other seat to let Sawako in. The police offer then manned the driver seat and once he had buckled in, he turned the car around and began to head back toward Ryoko. He did this all the while conversing in the dashboard radio.

Seeing as they were already cuffed and arrested, Sawako no longer held back her slur. "W-What about the car?" she asked the officer.

"Impounded," he stated back.

"Shit. If I find one scratch of that car, you fu- Eh?"

The bespectacled woman was cut short by the touch of Nanako's head resting on her left shoulder. "Huh, she fell back asleep."

-o0o-

The two were detained in the Ryoko Police Station for the night, both placed in one of the few cells the station had. It was a small seven by five room, a metal bench built into the right wall. Nanako, who had slipped back into an inebriated sleep, had to be carried in while Sawako was able to walk in on her own. When she awoke the next morn, she found herself in the small white cell, sitting atop a cold metal bench, in an upright position, and leaning against something soft. With eyes still blurred, she turned around to see that it was Sawako she had slept atop of, the back of her head somehow migrating in-between her breasts during her slumber.

Yamanaka felt the change in pressure against her body and awoke herself. "Hi there, _lightweight_," she whispered.

"H-Hey," the other whispered back. None dared to speak any louder, as hangovers gripped their mind tightly. Everything seemed louder to them, the lights that much brighter. "You ok?"

"Ugh, yeah, I'm fine. Head feels like crap though. Same?"

"Same."

A sound echoed from the other end of the hallway outside their cell, a loud metallic clank that ripped through the two's ears, causing them to instinctively cover them up. The sound was followed shortly after by the sound of booted footsteps that approached closer and closer. When they came within a few feet of the barred cell door's left, they were accompanied by a female voice. She sounded none too pleased. "No have no idea how fucking lucky you two stars are," she said. The voice sounded familiar to Kuroi.

And indeed it should have been. The female made her appearance in front of the cell door: a woman with short green hair, glasses, and a police uniform. Nanako recognized her in an instant.

"Yui!" she exclaimed, causing Yamanaka to yelp from her headache. Kuroi shot up from her bench and walked over to the door. "W-What are you-?"

"I say your names on the arrest records for the local area and I came over." There were unmistakable fires in her eyes. "Step away from the door, please. I'm opening it up."

Nanako took a large step back as Sawako stood up from the bench at the same time. Narumi unclipped the ring of keys that dangled from her belt on the right side of her hip and sifted through them until she found the right one. She then unlocked the door, slid it open, and took one step inside, putting herself within arm's reach of the two.

And after she glared at the two of them for a moment, she suddenly lifted her right hand up and struck the two across the left cheek in one fluid motion. "What the _fuck_ were you two thinking, _huh_?" she spat at the teachers. When no more than stunned looks answered her back, she continued. "I've seen this sort of thing committed a lot of times before, but I never thought I'd see it from _you two_. Kuroi, you're my little cousin's teacher! She looks up to you, you know? She helped you two get hitched even _after _her royal screw up."

Nanako finally managed to speak. "H-how do you know-?"

"She _told_ me," Yui answered before she even finished. "So what is she going to think of you when you've been killed in a car accident that could have _easily_ been prevented, _huh_?" Kruoi gasped, the gravity of those words cutting through her like a razor. "And _you_, Yamanaka," Yui then said, turning her fires onto the other. "I thought you would have been smarter than that: taking the wheel after drinking that much! That car of yours is a high horse-powered deathtrap, and you drove it drunk!" These words hit Sawako hard as well.

The officer heaved a heavy sigh before she continued forward further. "Like I said, you two are so damn lucky I heard about this when I did. Otherwise, you two would have been in _a **lot**_ deeper shit."

"Yui? What do you mean?" Kuroi asked.

"That's _Officer Narumi_ to _you_, Kuroi," she snapped. "… I was able to _majorly_ talk down the arresting officer. Hell, I practically had to get on my _knees_ to have your punishment lessened… But I did it. You realize that you two could have up to fifteen _years_ for doing what you did? And don't even get me started on the fines you could have gotten."

"… _Could have_?" Sawako cautiously repeated, hoping not to incur the officer's further wrath.

Again, Yui heaved a sigh. "… I was able to let you two off with a warning. A _very **serious**_ warning. You have no idea how thin of ice you two are on right now. Let's just say you two better not ever be caught _jay-walking_ anytime soon. Got that?"

"Y-Yes, officer," the wives unisoned.

"Good," said Yui, her eyes still glaring. "… Your vehicle is in the station's back parking lot. You _will_ have to pay the fine to have it released though."

"Ok," Sawako said. "… Thank you," she added. "Thank you so very much, Yui. Oh! And Yukari says 'Hi.'"

The officer's eyes lightened _just slightly_ at the mention of her college roommate's name. "… Just get going you too, before I change my mind."

-o0o-

The release fee for the Mustang was pricy, totaling thirty thousand yen, and once the hefty check was written out, Sawako's keys were returned to her. Much to her relief the vehicle had remained undamaged in the towing back to the station. It was an incredibly quiet ride back to their house. They took a route separate from the one they took last night. None of the two could bear to retake _that_ road.

The two finally returned home at around noon of that day and still none had spoken a word to each other. The car parked in the driveway and Sawako followed Nanako through the front door. They kicked off their shoes and took a few steps into the home before… stopping. The two turned to look each other in the eye, their gazed locked for a long, silent moment.

"… I'll make tea," Nanako then said, finally breaking the silence. She walked herself into the kitchen and after filling the tea pot with water set it atop the stove to boil. She remained stationary for a brief second to watch the flames of the burner, her eyes becoming lost in their dim light.

"Sawako…" she spoke absentmindedly. Her wife did not answer verbally, but the blonde heard her enter the kitchen from behind her. "Thank you for being so brave yesterday. I… I feel like if I wasn't out of it half the time, I would have only freaked out and made things worse, like you said I would have- EH!"

Nanako gasped at the feel of a new touch: her wife's arms reached over her shoulders and across her chest, pressing her chest firmly against the other's back. Her chin rested atop the blonde's left shoulder and her right cheek rubbed against the other's left.

"S-Sawako?" Nanako stuttered slightly from the abruptness of this display. "What are you-?"

"I was petrified the entire time, Nanako. I've never been more scared than what I was last night," Sawako admitted.

"… Y-You were?"

"Yes." Her hug tightened, further pressing the softness of her breasts into Kuroi's back. "I acted like it was no big deal so you wouldn't worry, but the truth was, I was terrified throughout the whole thing. I… I've never been pulled over or anything like that before, so for it to happen last night, I…" Tears fell from her eyes and onto Nanako's shoulders, accompanied by a few shaky sobs.

Still in the other's hold, Kuroi pivoted herself around and hugged Sawako back. Yamanaka's face was now buried in Nanako's right shoulder, the tears still coming. "Jesus, Sawako." It was all she could think to say at the moment. Instead, she led actions take place of words. She leaned and pecked Sawako on her right cheek. "You haven't changed much over the years, have you? You act tough on the outside when you're really soft on the inside."

The auburn-haired woman lifted her head. "H-Hey," she whispered back, an embarrassed blush on her face. "I'm not _soft_."

Kuroi suddenly grinned. "Oh _yes_ you _are_ soft on the inside… Do I need to drag you into the bedroom to prove it?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Is it your _turn_?"

"Oh shut up." Kuroi leaned forward and locked her lips around Sawako's, the other returning the advance with her tongue. This was Kuroi's way of comforting her wife: through displays of affection. Just like it had been in their university days, whenever they held each other, kissed or shared a bed, there existed only the two of them in their world, and it was though this they were able to forget their worries, if only for a short time.

Sawako and Nanako themselves were much like Room 414. Though outside appearances had changed over the years, much had remained the same…


	5. Bonds Formed Anew

Chapter 5

The speaker in her cellphone rang three times and still there came no answer from the other end. After six rings, the blonde wondered if the one she intended to speak with would _ever_ pick up. Seven rings. Eight rings. Nothing. She was on the very cusp of hanging up and trying another time when there finally came a clicking sound from the other end. "_Hello?_" asked a light and pleasant sounding voice.

"Miyuki?" Tsumugi asked.

"_Eh? Oh, no. This is actually her mother. Would you like me to get her?_"

"Yes, please."

"_Ok. Who may I say is calling?_"

"Tell her it's Mugi, please."

"_Ok then._" She head the phone get placed down on some hard surface (perhaps a table or counter top) and listened to the silence that followed. The mother's voice sounded again, only this time it was distant, as if she had taken a few steps away from the phone. "_Miyuki dear,_" the voice called into the house. "_There's someone on the phone for you. A… Mugen?_"

Mugi's blinked at the incorrect reiteration of her name. She continued to listen as there came another click through the speaker. Miyuki Takara's voice sounded clear and loud through it. "_I have it on the other phone, Mother. Thank you,_" she called out to her mother. After she then heard the click of Miyuki's mother hand up the other phone, Miyuki asked "_May I ask who is calling?_"

"It's me, Mugi," she replied.

"_Mugi? Oh, Kotobuki-san! What a pleasant surprise! Strange, I could have sworn Mother said that someone named 'Mugen' was calling."_

"I think she just made a little error there."

"_I see. Well, it's nice to hear from you regardless. How have things been?_"

Mugi was not one to waste time, especially with the intentions she had. "Are you free anytime this week?" she asked Takara. "To, you know, hang out?"

There came a slight pause on the other end. "_Hmm…_" Takara thought aloud. "_Actually, I think I may be free…_" She paused to think again. "_Tomorrow, in fact._"

"Great-! I-I mean, ok, that's fine with me. I'll take the train to your town's station at around, oh… noonish?"

"_Hmm, that's sounds fair to me._" Again, another pause. "_Was there something you had in mind to do, Kotobuki-san?_"

This time, _Mugi_ hesitated. "Actually, there was. There's something I wanted to ask you. I would have asked you before, but the last time we met up, we kind of, uh, _shooting_ at each other."

Miyuki giggled at that mentioning. "_Yes, that **is** true… But can you not do it over the phone right now?_"

"It pertains to Sawa-chan and Kuroi-san," the blonde further explained. "I'd rather ask it in-person."

"_I see… Very well then. I'll await your arrival then, tomorrow. Ok?_"

Mugi grinned. "It's a date- I mean, it's set then. See you. Bye." Tsumigi hung up before Miyuki had a chance to give a goodbye back. Once the connection was cut, the young Kotobuki began to verbally berate herself.

"Stupid Mugi!" she said aloud. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! You came off too strong, too impulsive!" She heaved a quick sigh. "Still, the meeting was set, which is good. Now I need to think of a good meeting-up gift to give her. Hmm… Sebastian?"

The door to Mugi's room opened and in stepped a tall, thin, black haired, light skinned, and above all else, _devilishly_ handsome butler, clad in black tailcoat and tie. His appearance was nearly perfect in every detail. He graced the young lady with his red-hued eyes and gave her a respectable bow as he entered the room.

"Yes, Miss Kotobuki?" he asked her, his voice eerily smooth and pleasant to the ear. "How may I service you?"

Mugi rotated herself one hundred eighty degrees on the mattress of her bed and faced the butler. "I need your opinion, Sebastian. I'm meeting with a friend tomorrow. What would be an appropriate gift to give her upon meeting up?"

"Well, Lady Kotobuki, this is all dependant on just who the person is. Is the one you intend to meet with a _close_ friend?"

"Hmm. Well, sort of. She's a student of the light music club advisor's wife."

"Ah, yes, Nanako Kuroi. Well, simple baked goods are never a bad thing to give," he suggested.

"Yes, I suppose… But what if you wanted to imply a certain message _with_ the gift."

"A message? What kind of message, Miss Kotobuki?"

"That you _like_ the person. What would be an appropriate gift in that situation?"

The butler raised an eyebrow. "You _did_ imply that this friend of yours was a woman, did you not?"

"Yes? So?"

"… I see. Well, again, baked goods are never a bad thing, but to show that you _truly_ care, something handmade is perhaps a solid way to go."

The blonde's eyes lit up. "Something _handmade_! Of course!" Mugi leapt to her feet, hopped off the bed, and practically skipped to the intercom built into the wall. She held down one of the many buttons on the interface and spoke into the mesh speaker hole. "Could I get a small box of Milano cookies sent from that cute little bakery in the center of town, please?"

"_Right away, Miss Kotobuki,_" said a voice on the other end, the person knowing exactly which one she referred to.

"Thank you," she said back and once she released her press of the button, turned back to Sebastian. "Thanks for the suggestion, Sebastian."

"… Well, that's not _quite_ what I meant by 'handmade,' but I suppose it doesn't matter."

"Ok," said Mugi as she walked back across the room toward her closet. "Now that _that's_ settled, now comes an even more important query: what to wear?" When she reached the closet door, she spun back around to the butler. "Sebastian, what is a good outfit that says 'I want to get _close_ to you, but I don't go _that_ way. At least not on the _first_ date'?"

"Uh…"

-o0o-

Mugi made the journey to Ryoo by train the next afternoon. Earlier that morning, Miyuki informed the blonde (by text message) that she would meet her in the town's park. When the train finally reached her intended destination, she stood up from her seat and stepped off, clutching in her hand a single plastic bag that held her gift for Takara: a baker's dozen of freshly baked, handmade Milano cookies, their chocolate a deep, rich German one. They were further made special by having half of them dunked in the same chocolate.

When the day finally came, Mugi had reached a decision regarding her attire: a simple light blue sundress (something she normally wore) that was neither too flashy nor too downplayed. She had thought long and hard the previous night about which one to chose and had her reasons for her final choice. If, Mugi theorized, she appeared in something too flashy or expensive looking on their first real outing, it would make anything _else_ she wore on subsequent outings look downturned in comparison, inadvertently giving off the vibe that she no longer cared about what she wore. But likewise, if she chose a more simplistic outfit, appearing in anything expensive afterward would perhaps perturb Miyuki. Thusly, a 'middle-of-the-road' dress was a safe bet in her mind.

Over-thought, perhaps, but nothing could be _too_ thought-over in Mugi's mind.

She made her way from the station across the town, toward a point near its center. The park of Ryoo was nothing too special. It covered a size of about four city blocks, held a manmade pond in its center, a concrete path that circumnavigated it, plenty of trees that provided shade on this sunny day, and benches that sat beneath said shade.

When the young Kotobuki had reached the park and made a brief stroll in it, she retrieved her cell phone from a pocket of the dress and sent her a quick text. "_Where are you?_" A few seconds later she received a reply. "_Near an ice cream vendor._" With that in mind Tsumugi strode further along the lake's perimeter, her eyes ever vigilant for the supposed vendor.

Eventually she found it, and sitting on a bench ten feet from it, in the shade of a tree, was Miyuki, dressed in a dress of her own; a lavender one that was actually rather expensive looking in its own respects. Perhaps Mugi was wrong in not choosing something flashy?

Mugi threw her right hand into the air and waved to get her attention. When she noticed and gave a polite wave back, Kotobuki walked herself over to the bench and into the shade. She stood before the sitting girl and greeted her with a simple "Hi there," accompanying it with a grin.

"Hello, Kotobuki-san," she said back, her eyes falling down to the bag Mugi held. "Is that for me?"

"O-Oh, yes!" Mugi nearly cheered as she placed the parcel in her lap. "Just a little gift for you."

"Oh, thank you," Miyuki said as she retrieved the square white box from the bag and flipped open the lid. "Oh my! These look delicious! Thank you, Kotobuki-san."

"Go ahead, try one."

"Oh, I _would_, but…"

"But what? Ah! Don't tell me you're allergic to chocolate!"

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. It's just… It's a little embarrassing to say, but I had dentist work yesterday. They said that I can't eat anything solid for twenty-four hours. I'm restricted to liquids for the time being." Her eyes gave a glance to her left, to the bottle of water that stood on the bench next to where she sat.

"… Oh," Tsumugi sighed with a hint or relief. She took a seat on the bench to Miyuki's right. The meganekko rebagged her gift and placed it at her feet, then took a quick sip from the bottle. "Uh, Kotobuki-san," said after swallowing, "you said you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes, that's correct," Mugi replied.

"Well, what is it you wanted to ask? You said it regarded Kuroi-san and Yamanaka-san?"

"Right." She pivoted slightly to the left as she turned to face Miyuki. "Well, I have been thinking about something for the past few days and it got me, well, _thinking_."

"About?"

"Well, remember back before Sawa-chan and Kuroi-san got married? After we had that big meet-up at my house? You called my house later that night?"

Miyuki _did_ remember that. How could she _not_?

_"Hello, Kotobuki residence. This is Tsumugi Kotobuki speaking. Who may I ask is calling?"_

_ "Hello, Kotobuki-san? It's me, Miyuki Takara."_

_ "… O-Oh, Miyuki? You sound a little flustered. Is something wrong?"_

_ "I did a bit more research on Japanese marriage laws when I got home. I discovered something terrible!"_

_ "What? What is it!"_

_ "Well, as it turns out, Kuroi-san and Yamanaka-san cannot get married under Japanese law!"_

_ "*Gasp* N-No! That can't be!"_

_ "It's true though… But Kotobuki-san, I did find a loophole. Would it be ok if I came over tomorrow so we could discuss it?"_

_ "O-Of course, yes! By all means, please."_

"Yes," Miyuki replied, "I _do_ remember that. The next day we both thought up the plan to have the marriage out of Japan, in Canada, where they could legally wed. We also thought up the honeymoon idea that day as well, putting our own money into it."

"Exactly! Don't you see, Miyuki? We _both_ chose to go above and beyond what the others did. We each individually took one more step forward in helping out our teachers." Mugi paused. "And _that's_ what got me thinking."

"What about?" Takara asked.

"Well… Miyuki, I need to ask: What were your reasons for going above and beyond?"

"…Eh?" Miyuki sounded, giving a cute tilt of her head.

"Most people, when faced with what facts you found out, would have given up. But _you_ didn't give up! You strove forward and discovered the loophole our teacher exploited." The blonde suddenly reached her arms forward, grabbed Miyuki by both her hands, and held them up. "I know what reasons _I_ took that extra leap, but I want to know what _yours _were, to see if they were the same as mine!"

Takara was initially taken by surprise at Mugi's hand-grab, and it caused her to give a nervous stutter as she spoke her next words. "W-Well, I thought that it would only b-be the right thing to d-do," she replied. "It would be t-terrible for Kuroi-san to have to give up on her hopes of marriage because of legal matters."

The grip of Mugi's fingers tightened just slightly. "Because you _wanted_ to see her and Sawa-chan married, right?" she asked. "You wanted their love to flourish, right?"

This caused Takara to become even more nervous and slightly more embarrassed, a line of pink forming across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. "I-I, I'm not s-sure what you mean, Kotobuki-san. I j-just wanted to see K-Kuroi-san and Yamanaka-san happy."

Tsumugi paused. Her grip lessened a tiny bit, but did not release. Her blue eyes fell of Takara's visage and fell downward slightly. "Oh, I see…" she said, her voice portraying a hint of sullenness.

Miyuki caught onto the sudden change of tone in the other's voice and wondered why this was so. Did she say something wrong, perhaps? "Um, Kotobuki-san?" she spoke with caution. "What were _your_ reasons?"

The blonde's grip retightened in an instant and her eyes lifted back up to the others. "I couldn't let a love like theirs get ruined!" she enthusiastically replied. "Their special kind of bond is something that usually never comes to light that often and to see it broken… That I simply could not allow!"

Tsumugi's face glowed as she uttered those last words. Miyuki read the grand enthusiasm in the other's voice and, again, wondered why she was so worked up over their teacher's marriage. Granted it was an important thing to both Sawako and Nanako, and the marriage would later become nearly world-know, but why was Mugi, she wondered, so motivated about it from the very beginning?

"Kotobuki-san, what exactly do you mean by Kuroi-san and Yamanaka-san's 'special kind of bond'?"

Without any pause of hesitation, Mugi answered, "the bond of two women, of course!" This stunning admission nearly caused Miyuki to yelp, but she maintained herself, instead giving a quick, stifled gasp. Mugi continued. "Before the news got out about Kuroi-san and Sawa-chan's marriage, there were very little lesbian couples in Japan (or not many that chose to have their love known.) So to find out about their love, in a country that seemed pit against them, it just… got me so enthralled! You know what I mean-?"

Tsumugi was cut off when Miyuki suddenly ripped her hands out of Mugi's hold, quickly bringing them to her chest. She even skidded backwards a few inch away from the blonde. The expression on her face was of _clear_ and undeniable uneasiness.

"Miyuki?" Tsumugi voiced with worry. "Is something wrong?"

"K-Kotobuki-san?" her now frightened voice voiced back. "A-Are you saying that _you_ are… That you're like Kuroi-san and Yamanaka-san?"

Tsumugi gave a tilt of her own head. "You mean married?"

"N-No! I mean, that you… like other women?"

This was it: a moment Mugi was waiting for. To Takara's question, the blonde did not reply with words. Not yet. Instead, she slid herself forward and grabbed Miyuki's hands again, pulling them toward her until they were held midway between the two of them. "I wanted to know your reason for helping Sawa-chan and Kuroi-san because, well… If you shared my reasons, I'd have someone to get close to, you know?" She slid even closer, her legs now nearly toughing Miyuki's. She leaned her face into within a foot's distance of the now nearly quivering other. "And if I could get close to someone… I'd be able to show at least _someone_ my _true_ self." And before Miyuki could voice anything further, Miss Kotobuki had finally made her move.

With her hold of Takara's hands still firm, she closed her eyes and leaned her head forward that extra foot to bring her lips to the others. The bespectacled girl drew in a sharp inhale through her nose as a gasp, her eyes shooting open to as wide as they could possibly go. She was quite literally frozen from the shock of this entire ordeal.

Mugi's lips lifted ten seconds later, the eyes of the now softened expression on her visage reopening to meet the other's frozen look of stun. She voiced a light giggle. "You look kind of funny, Yuki-chan," Tsumugi whispered. "Don't tell me that this was your _first_ kiss, was it?" The frozen girl somehow managed her head to nod a slow response. "It _was_? I find that odd: a girl as beautiful as you never being kissed before… Well, I feel honored then."

Mugi leaned in again and gave Miyuki her second kiss. At the same time, her lands released their hold of the others, instead making their journey to the other's slender shoulders, where they gently cupped a hold. When the second kiss ended another ten seconds later and Mugi reopened her eyes, the expression on Miyuki's face, while still _quite_ stunned, had diminished just a tiny bit.

"Yuki-chan?" Tsumugi whispered. "Are you ok?"

The petrified girl finally managed to speak again. "M-My f-f-first k-kiss," she stuttered, "w-was with a g-girl…"

Mugi grinned again. "Well, did you like it?" she asked.

"… It w-was… i-i-interesting…"

"Maybe you'd like to give one _back_, hmm?"

"Eh! I-I, I don't know if I-" Miyuki pivoted her body right, back to a proper sitting position on the bench, and breaking Mugi's hold on her shoulders. Her eyes fell onto her feet and her now fidgeting hands fell into her lap. The blonde's arms returned to her side. "T-This is really so abrupt," Takara continued. "To be quite honest, I've haven't really been giving really much thought about dating. T-The thought of being with another woman has _never_ crossed my mind before. I… I'm not sure if I can do it."

Her vocalized thinking was met with the return of Mugi's touch. She reached her hands back over and cupped them around the other's nervous fingers, bringing their sporadic movement to a halt. She lifted her gaze back to Mugi, expecting her to say something. Instead, she was only met by her warming smile and nothing yet else.

What she had said was true: the thought of courtship was a thought that did not often enter the pinkette's mind. In few-and-far-between moments it _did_, but for the most part, it took backseat to other worries, such as schoolwork, hobbies, and other like subjects. Thought she was talked about amongst the men of Ryoo High, none had had the courage to ask her out before… until _Mugi_. She was the first of _anyone_ to do so, and quite frankly, Miyuki was finally happy that _someone_ **_did_**.

It took a few more long seconds, but eventually, the bespectacled girl's visage softened as well, turning from paling fright to a warm glow of a smile, the kind the usually exhibited. "… So," she said to Mugi, "you chose me because you thought I thought as _you_ did?"

"Mhm," Tsumugi replied.

"Well, I must admit, while I never had thoughts of being with another girl before, that seeing another female couple be together is very…" This time, it was Takara that slid herself closer to the other. "… very _special_."

For their third kiss, Miyuki took the initiative. She brought her head forward and gingerly caressed her lips around those of Mugi's, giving them a gentle suck. Mugi return whatever kiss she gave her and Miyuki did vice versa. It was a loop of give and take that lasted for quite the while.

And as one love sprung anew, the winds that swept across Japan wafted from Ryoo Park, out of the town, and into another (a "city"), where a raging battle and a selfless sacrifice would bring about another bond of love in its wake.

-o0o-

"TAKE COVER!"

Satoshi did as his comrade commanded and ducked behind the white pick-up truck as a storm of plastic bbs flew overhead. He looked to his left and right to see that his teammates had returned fire with their own weapons. Both they and Satoshi were part of the same group on their team and, as such, were clad in the same battlements: all three of them (and a few others at different points in Daten City) had gone into battle as American WWII soldiers, complete with authentic helmets, tan colored fatigues, boots, and so on. Even the patches that adorned their shoulders (Satoshi's designating himself as a private) were authentic. Though many of the boy Tainaka's group had completed the ensemble by wielding airsoft M1 Garandes, Sato did not. Being only a kid and not possessing the same strength of the others, he opted for a sub-machine gun: a "Carl Gustav M45 Swedish 9mm submachine gun.

"_It **looks** like it's from the same era_," Satoshi would later reason. Though it was true, it didn't help his social standing amongst his team. It was already quite low to begin with.

As the three members of the opposing team (who had taken cover behind the pyramid in the center of the roundabout) continued to pepper Sato and his allies, the two to his left and right began to bark orders to each other. "Give me some covering fire! I'm going to make a break for 'IV' and see if I can't flank them!" said the one on his right.

The one to Tainaka's left nodded and began to unload his clip at the cover, forcing the enemy to duck behind the pyramid. The other took that opportunity to sprint out from behind the truck and disappear into "IV" through an alleyway, leaving Satoshi and just one other to fend for themselves.

Not a few seconds later, the other soldier barked _his_ order to Satoshi. "Sato, give _me_ some cover! I'm going to flank around through 'II'!"

"What!" Satoshi shot back. "Are you kidding me! I'm fucking pinned down here!"

"Do as I fucking say and give me covering fire, _private_!" Satoshi was literally the lowest rank in his group. Even members that had been a part of their company for less time than him had risen to higher rank. That meant if _anyone_ gave him an order, Sato had to follow it. "Yes, Sir!"

Tainaka popped out from behind his cover and unloaded at least thirty rounds at the cover, emptying his clip. Once more the squad of axis soldiers ducked out of the firing line, and by the time Satoshi ducked back behind the truck, his 'ally' was gone, leaving him alone to fend off three enemy soldiers.

As they returned fire on the truck, the plastic projectiles giving *tinks* as they made contact with the metal, Satoshi scrambled to reload his sub-machine gun, slipping the spent clip into a pouch on his belt and retrieving a new one, slapping it into the gun. It was his last magazine. By the time he was ready to fire back, mere seconds later, the enemy squad had begin to creep forward. Now every time Satoshi even so much as peaked over his cover, he was face to face with a barrage of bbs sent in his direction, causing him to duck right back behind. He attempted to blind-fire a few bursts, but he knew he was hitting no one.

"_Son of a bitch!_" he screamed in his head. "_Why the hell did those guys leave me alone? **Again!** This **always** happens to me in these games: I'm always sent to do suicide objectives or I'm stuck defending or attacking against impossible odds! I hate my team. Why the hell did even join that fu-_"

Fast approaching footsteps sounded from behind Satoshi. Before he had time to look behind himself, the person had already ducked behind the same cover he was in, crouching down to his right.

"In a bit of a bind, are ya?" she said. "Don't worry, I'll help ya out."

The person that just came to his aid was someone he noticed at the briefing before the game began but never got the chance to talk to. She was the only girl there. There had been girls to these sorts of events before, but they were more often than not girls whose jerk boyfriends dragged them along, who spent the entire operation cringing up and cowering the second shots were fired, who you'd get yelled at if you didn't protect them, even though they contributed _nothing_ to the team.

_This_ girl, however, was different. _Very_ different.

She _looked_ ready for battle, clad in an outfit the reminded the boy of John Rambo. She had short brown hair, tanned shin, an athletic body, and yellow eyes, which at the moment were sharp and fierce. She clutched in her hands an M16 rifle, one outfitted with a double-drummed magazine, one capable of holding about three thousand rounds.

The girl popped out of cover and unleashed a prolonged burst on the advancing troops. She took down two instantly: they each yelled "HIT" and threw their hands and rifle over their heads and began to head back to their spawn point, the school. The third, however, was able to retreat back behind the pyramid, saving him from elimination.

The girl ducked back behind and "reloaded" her weapon. She held down a button on the magazine itself and the electric motor within cycled fresh bbs into the chamber, the motor shutting off automatically once full. Once she herself was set, she turned her gaze to her left, to the young boy. "You ok there?" she asked him.

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm good," she replied.

The girl regarded the name printed on the patch on the kid's right shoulder. "Tainaka" she read aloud. "Got a first name, kid?" In her previous battle against the girls of Sakura High, she failed to learn Ritsu Tainaka's full name. She was blissfully unaware of her relation to this boy.

"S-Satoshi," he replied.

"Hmm… Well glad to be fighting with ya, Satoshi." The girl peaked back over her cover. In the time they had begun their talking three others had returned from their spawn and grouped up behind the pyramid. "Looks like we got more coming in." She gave Satoshi another 'up-down.' "You look light on your feet. Feel like making a rush at them?"

Again, Satoshi felt begrudged at being sent into the fray alone, but this time, he was not being _ordered _to do something: he was being _asked_, something he greatly appreciated.

"Uh, sure, Ma'am," he replied.

"Hehe, no need to impose rank with _me_, Satoshi. I don't have any rank." The complete lack of insignia on her attire further proved this point. "I'm a lone wolf on the battlefield. Know what I mean?"

"Y-Yeah, sure."

"Ok, so here's what I was thinking: I can put down some impressive cover with this weapon. When I do, I want you to make a run forward, and as they're still bunkered down, you hook around their left and unload on them, ok?" Satoshi didn't like the plan very much, but he agreed with a nod of his head. "Ok then. On the count of three. One. Two-!"

A small object arched over their heads, halting the countdown. A primed airsoft grenade soared over the pick-up and landed behind the two. The girl gasped and immediately covered her face, knowing she was about to be struck with a barrage of bbs. She heard the device explode and her right leg was struck with no less than ten simultaneous bbs, which _hurt_, but the rest of her body remained unharmed, something she was not expecting. Only when she uncovered her face and eyes did she see why.

Satoshi had leapt over the girl and placed his body in-between the grenade and her. He sacrificed himself and took the brunt of the blast, his entire backside struck with the force of the grenade. His closed-eyed expression showed clear pain, but he held back any yell.

After a moment, the boy's eyes reopened and locked onto the eyes of the one he assumed he just saved. "A-Are you ok?" his pained voice asked.

"… You _sacrificed_ yourself. For _me_," she said back. "That must have hurt."

"Y-Yeah, it did, but I'm ok." She doubted that. She had seen full-fledged airsoft warriors hit by the brunt of grenades before and watch as they turned to crying infants. But _Satoshi_, he seemed to be little hurt from it. Either _that_, or he was masking his pain extremely well. "Can you still fight?" he then asked her.

"Uh, actually… I got hit in the leg," she replied giving her right leg a tap or two with her left hand. "Sorry to say, but your act was in vain."

The boy cursed. "Shit… Guess we're both out then, huh?"

Miss Rambo voiced a chuckle. "Looks like it."

Suddenly, a voice from the over team sounded across the roundabout. "Hey! You two out or what!"

The girl looked over her shoulder and shot back a harsh response. "Cool your fucking jets, hard-ass! We're heading back to the spawn, just give us a damn second!" She turned back to Tainaka. "Well, guess we better head back, before the 'anal-retentive' get too pissed."

"Hmm, guess so."

The two lifted their guns over their heads and stood up from their cover. They then began the 'walk of shame' back to their spawn: the steps in front of the town hall. As they headed back, a group of five that had just respawned perhaps a few minutes earlier ran past them and begun to engage the enemies that had just taken them out.

Once out of the midst of the firefight, the two slung their respective rifles over a shoulder and proceeded at a leisurely pace, and as they did, the girl could not help but further examine the boy that had just attempted to save her. She noticed a many number of things about him. Though he was clearly much younger than her, perhaps still in junior high himself, there was an undeniable manliness about him, separate from the 'meat-headedness' the other players usually exhibited. His attire may have contributed to this, but she also noticed the way he walked, the look in his eyes, the sternness of his battle-experienced face. His shoulders were broader then they appeared, as the saying goes. He was different from the others, that much was sure.

And quite honestly, the girl liked what she saw.

"So," she said to him as they headed back, "you gonna ask me _my_ name or what?"

"Oh, sorry… What's your name?" he replied.

"Misao. Misao Kusakabe. Bet you don't see many girls play here, huh?"

"Well, I _do_, but they're not like _you_, Kusakabe-san. You actually _play_."

"Ha ha ha, thanks. And you can call me Misao if you want to." The boy slightly blushed. "Play here often?"

"Sometimes. I play with a group of others, but… I'm always stuck with the crap assignments: infiltrate the enemy base even though it's _clearly_ overrun, defend a point that will never be contested. Hell, I've been private for longer than anyone else in the group."

"Hmm…" Misao had sympathy to the boy and suggested "Maybe you should do as _I_ do, and go without command to weigh you down?"

Tainaka raised an eyebrow at this. "You think so?"

"Hey, if these guys are as much jerks as you say they are, you'd benefit from not being associated with them. Sure they might hate you more for leaving them, but who cares! You'll be a lone wolf, like _me_!"

The boy considered this option for a moment, and in his response, smile back at Misao. "Yeah, I like that option. I think I'll do it."

"Excellent!" Kusakabe beamed.

By this time, the two had returned to their spawn point. The two other WWII American soldiers that broke off from Satoshi had already been hit and had returned back to the spawn before them. They saw Satoshi approach them and they instantly commenced with their insults.

"Sato!" said one of them. "Good job holding the line, ya idiot!"

The boy opened his mouth to retort, but Misao came to his aid once again. "Hey, back off!" she barked back at them. "This guy took a fucking grenade for me! He's got more balls than you two!"

"But you still got out, lone wolf!" said the other. "Shows how much help _he_ is! Can't even sacrifice himself right."

Misao ignored their brash insults and spoke aside to Satoshi. "Fuck those guys, Sato," she said. The two stood apart from the others in the spawn point as they each began to make equipment checks: reloading spent clips, making sure their weapons still fired properly, and so on.

Again, Misao's eyes migrated onto Satoshi as he made his check of his sub-machine gun. Misao was the kind of girl that, if she saw something she liked, she would leap at any chance she got to get her hold of it. And right now, Satoshi was that 'it.'

"Hey, Sato-kun," she said. He made a sudden jerk of shock as being given the honorific of '-kun,' especially by someone he had just met. "You going to the after-party?" she then asked. The after-party was an event that took place after large matches in the Daten City complex, matched such as this one. The players met up at an American style pizza and pub located a short drive from the complex. There, those of legal age would get gloriously hammered while those that were_ underage_ merely hung out.

"Uh…" Satoshi answered. "Well, I wasn't actually planning on going-"

"Aww, come on, _pleeease_?" she half-jokingly pleaded.

The boy was somewhat baffled at this girl's insistence. With no prior experience with courtship or the processes that preceded it, Satoshi was somewhat clueless. Attending an all-boy's school did not help this fact either. This being said, he wondered why Misao wanted him to go. Was it perhaps because _she_ liked _him_? He quickly dismissed that thought from his head. After all, she looked to be in high school, while he was still in junior high. How could that be possible that she had any interest in him? Perhaps, instead, she merely wanted to be friends? But even _that_ seemed an odd proposition.

"… Well, I _guess_ I could go. I'll just need to call my parents and tell them that I'll be late coming home."

"Yay!" Kusakabe cheered. "You won't regret it, Sato-kun. Well, I'm set. You ready to head back out?"

"Yeah, sure Misao," he said back. The two rejoined the others in spawn just as they were about to head back out into the city. For the rest of the game, both Misao and Satoshi had each other's back, and not once more were they hit by enemy fire, thus leading their team to victory.

-o0o-

When the day of fighting was done and over, many of the players headed out to the aforementioned pub for the after-party, all of them still clad in their battlements. Those of the loosing team that were of age drowned their losses in beer while those of the _winning_ team drowned their _victory_ in the same manner. Misao and Satoshi, amongst the others that were underage, separated themselves from the drunkenness and conversed amongst themselves. The two fate-crossed soldiers talked to each other for a long while, becoming better friends.

But as they talked, Misao was secretly keeping an eye on the rest of the pub, watching the ebb and flow of those who drank and those who did not. She waiting for the perfect moment to make her _next_ move, and eventually, she got her wish.

Where there came a point where the attention of the celebrating soldiers lifted off of them, Misao swiftly grabbed Satoshi by a wrist, told him to "Follow me, Sato-kun," and whisked him away to another part of the building. She brought him to a corner near the back, where a few unused and broken arcade machines stood in a row. No one else was near, which was good for her. It made what she was about to do that much easier.

"M-Misao?" Satoshi exclaimed as he was lead away from the commotion. "W-What are you doing!" He was suddenly pinned to an empty section of a wall, held there by the weight of Misao leaning forward, her hands pressed against his shoulders.

Misao giggled at the boy's nervousness. "Don't worry about it," she whispered back. "I'm just going to thank you for taking that grenade earlier is all." Before the boy Tainaka could voice any kind of protest, his lips were halted by the touch of Misao's.

Much like Miyuki had done earlier that day, the boy's body turned to stone, his eyes wide. It was _his_ first kiss as well. He could _feel_ his face turn a shade of red. When Misao lifted her lips a few seconds later, she gave Tainaka a cute fanged grin, accompanying it with a giggle.

"So, Sato-kun," she said, "what did ya think?"

In reply, Satoshi did not do as most young boys _would_ have done in the same situation. He did not stutter an "Uh", "I", or voiced any sort of embarrassing gasp. Instead, Satoshi did perhaps the manliest thing he had ever done in his life so far.

The boy grinned. "Hmm, I'm not sure," he calmly replied, his hands suddenly wrapping around Misao's waist and bringing her closer. "I think I might need a second opinion."

Kusakabe was _thoroughly_ impressed at the boy's display. "Oh _wow_, Sato-kun. Maybe you _are_ a man after all."

He felt like saying something like "Damn right" back, but thought better than to do something that stupid. Instead, he took command and planted one on Misao in return, further proving Misao right.

And when there next was an event at the Daten City complex, there fought upon the battlefield _two _lone wolves: John _and _Jane Rambo.

-o0o-

And later that same evening, after the two moe-girls and the pair of warriors created bonds, another bond was being strengthened.

For the couple that was Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi, there was no need to go through the processes of dating. In truth, they saw no need to do so. They were sisters after all and had known each other throughout their entire lives. They knew _much_ about themselves: their likes, dislikes, fears, hopes, aspirations, and a myriad of other things. With that much personal knowledge between them, the two had only the actions of their relationship to strengthen, and in the solidarity of their rooms, they did just that.

In this evening in particular, Tsukasa's room held host to their bonding. Underneath the sheets of her bed, the undressed sisters held each other in tender embrace, Kagami atop the other. The tsundere's right hand had migrated downward to the private area between the other's legs and her stiffened fingers rubbed to pleasure Tsukasa, causing the short-haired girl to gasp soft moans of bliss.

"Ah! O-Onee-chan," she whispered aloud as Kagami continued her work. "I-It feels so… A-Ah!"

Her squeals of joy were becoming louder and louder, foretelling that she was reaching her climax. Kagami feared that her voicing would alert the others of the house, so she locked her mouth around Tsukasa's, muffling her joyous outcries. Meanwhile, her right hand increased in movement, become ever faster, only furthering Tsukasa's climax.

Finally, Tsukasa screamed into Kagami's mouth as she reached her peak, her body giving a noticeable shake as it happened. The sister became limp right after. When Kagami lifter her lips, Tsukasa's heavy breaths conveyed her ecstasy. "… Kagami…" she whispered.

Kagami gasped. Tsukasa _never_ called her by her name, always "Onee-chan" or "Sis." She was truly not sure what to make of this. "T-Tsukasa?" she said. "Are you ok?"

The sister's previously limp arms suddenly rose up and wrapped around Kagami's shoulders. "Never better," she replied, nestling her right cheek against Kagami's. "I love you," she then whispered.

"… I love _you_," she whispered back. She lowered her chin to the top of Tsukasa's right shoulder, taking a moment to smell her scent, a scent she quickly fell in love with. "Tsukasa, I'm so glad you gained the courage to admit your feelings." Her hold tightened. "You've made me very happy."

"And you've made me happy, Onee-chan," Tsukasa said back. The two leaned forward and were about to engage in another extended bout of kissing when their mother's voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs.

"Kagami! Tsukasa! Dinner is ready!"

"Coming!" Kagami replied. "Sorry, Tsukasa. Looks like we'll have to continue this later. Let's get dressed."

Her sister nodded back. Both removed themselves from beneath the sheets, got off Tsukasa's bed, and proceeded to dress themselves. "… Hey, Onee-chan?" said Tsukasa as they clothed themselves.

"Yeah?" she said back.

"Um, well, do you think Mom, Dad, and the others should know about us-?"

"No," Kagami instantly shot back. She finished slipping back on her last article of clothing (her socks) before explaining further. "Not _yet_, at least. I'm not sure how Mom or Dad (not to mention Inori and Matsuri) will react. I think it would be safe if, for now, they _not_ know."

"Oh… Ok, Onee-chan," Tsukasa agreed, giving a nod of her head.

Before they headed off, Tsukasa gave her sister one last peck on her cheek before leaving her room and heading downstairs together, to have dinner with an unknowing family.

* * *

**[Author's Notes] **... W-What is this? ParadoxBattleZone is writing a pairing that's... heterosexual! THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!

No, not really. But this chapter _does_ call for two new pairing names! Let's see... For Miyuki and Mugi... "Kotoyuki"! And for the heteroness that is Misao and Satoshi... "Mitoshi"? Hey, it's the best I could think up on the spot. Oh, and there was another anime reference. Miss it? It was Mugi's butler: Sebastian from "Black Butler."

Sooo, that's that. Review as you wish and, uh, I suppose I should say something for the kids, so... Don't do drugs and stay... in... school?


	6. Interviews

Chapter 6

***The following is a collection of excepts from transcripts of interviews with individuals connected to the marriage of Sawako Yamanaka and Nanako Kuroi, as well as the two themselves. All that follows are direct quotations of the events and spoken words of these meetings. These have been preserved for the use of future generations at the request of the married couple themselves.***

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview of Yui Hirasawa with Channel 7]**

**[Interviewer] "**Thank you again for taking the time to talk with us, Miss Hirasawa."

**[Hirasawa] "**No problem."

**[Interviewer]** "First off, could you tell us a bit about _yourself_?"

**[Hirasawa] *Thinks for a moment*** "Well, my name's Yui Hirasawa. I'm seventeen. I go to Sakuragaoka High school. I play guitar with my friends in the Light Music Club. Um… I guess that's about it."

**[Interviewer] "**Ok then. I'd like to ask a few questions about your teacher: Sawako Yamanaka. First off, how would you describe her?"

**[Hirasawa] "**Sawa-chan?" ***Thinks for a moment* "**Oh, she's a lesbian!"

**[Interviewer] "**Uh, y-yes, we are aware, but how would you describe her _as_ a teacher?"

**[Hirasawa] **"… A _lesbian_ teacher?"

**[Interviewer] "**I mean her _character_. What kind of person is she?"

**[Hirasawa] **"_Oh,_ I see what you mean now. Well, she's a pretty good teacher, I guess. She strict sometimes and laid-back other times. She likes to have tea and cake with the club in the club room a lot. Oh, and she likes to put us all in costumes too!"

**[Interviewer] **"Costumes?"

**[Hirasawa] **"Yeah! She loves to make costumes and makes us dress-up sometimes. One time, on Christmas, she dressed Mio as Misses Santa. She also dresses us up for performances sometimes. She dressed Mio as a maid for one of them." ***Chuckles* **"She tripped at the end of the show and everyone in the audience saw her stripped panties."

**[Interviewer] **"O-Oh, I see… Uh, l-let's change subjects. Miss Hirasawa, when did you first find out when your teacher, Sawako Yamanaka, was a lesbian?"

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview of Ritsu Tainaka with Channel 5]**

**[Tainaka]** "When did I find out? ***Chuckles*** It's actually kid of a funny story how we found out. One day I overheard Sawa-chan talking on the phone with someone. She sounded like she was just planning an outing with someone, but the last thing she told the person was 'I love you.' After school, when the club met up, I quickly told them about it. Everyone was surprised to hear this, naturally. I kept joking with them, saying that it could have been a girl she was talking to, because she went to an all-girls university."

**[Interviewer]** "You mean Ryoko Universtiy?"

**[Tainaka]** "Right, that one. I remember Sawa-chan talking about her meeting up with her college roommate earlier before then. We knew it was Nanako, but at that time, we didn't think they were _together_. Anyway, when I told the others about the outing, I suggested we all go and spy on Sawa-chan, to see who her 'boyfriend' was."

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview of Konata Izumi with Channel 5]**

**[Interviewer]** "So you suggested to spy on your teacher, Nanako Kuroi?"

**[Izumi]** "On yeah, I was pumped to find out what would happen with her meeting up with Sawako. I was able to convince Kagamin, Tsukasa, and Miyuki to come along."

**[Interviewer]** "When you decided to follow your teacher during her date, were you aware Yamanaka-san's students were doing the same?"

**[Izumi]** "Nope. We had no idea until sometime after their date was over. We bumped into each other. I was the only one they knew who they were because I saw their band perform at Ryoo during our sports festival."

**[Interviewer]** "So what exactly happened when you followed your teacher?"

**[Izumi]** "Well, I overheard Kuroi-san talk with Sawako on the phone during school, when they made the plans to meet up at this café in Ryoo: 'Café du Kohii.' Me and the others arrived at the train station an hour before her intended arrival."

**[Interviewer]** "One _hour_?"

**[Izumi]** "Well, I wanted to be sure we didn't miss her. Anyway, when we did finally see her, we all followed her to the café, where she took a seat outside. We crept in after and grabbed a table as far away from her so we wouldn't be caught. We waited for a while and finally, when Sawako showed up, they both greeted each other with a _kiss_."

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview with Kagami Hiiragi with Channel 4]**

**[Interviewer]** "When you saw your teacher, Nanako Kuroi, kiss the other, Sawako Yamanaka, what were your feelings at the time?"

**[Hiiragi]** ***Blushes slightly* **"Well, to be honest, I was surprised. _Really_ surprised. I mean, Konata had been insisting earlier that Kuroi-san and Yamanaka-san were a couple. But she jokes nearly all the time, so it was hard for me to say if she really meant what she said or not."

**[Interviewer] **"Did you at any point think that your friend was perhaps telling the truth?"

**[Hiiragi] **"Not at first, no, but… You know when you hear something repeated over and over a bunch of times? You may not believe what you hear it at first, but the more you get told it, the more you start to accept it as fact? It was _kind of_ like that."

**[Interviewer]** "Do you remember how the others reacted?"

**[Hiiragi]** "Well I remember my sister, Tsukasa, being just as surprised as me, Miyuki as well. Konata... Well, she nearly jumped out her clothes from excitement. I guess she really _did_ want them to be a couple."

**[Interviewer]** "So what happened then?"

**[Hiiragi]** "We stuck around and watched them have their coffees. Then, after they left, we were about to continue following, but we bumped into Yamanaka-san's students and got acquainted then. Apparently they were following Yamanaka-san at the same time."

**[Interviewer]** "That's one heck of a coincidence."

**[Hiiragi] **"Yeah, no kidding… We then basically told Kuroi-san the next day that we had followed her and saw her with Yamanaka-san…"

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview of Mio Akiyama with Channel 9]**

**[Interviewer] **"So when you saw Sawako Yamanaka at the club room the next day, you and your friends told her that you had spied on her?"

**[Akiyama]** "That's right. She was understandably shocked when we told her. But we didn't try to act brash about it. We all just wanted to know why she didn't tell us earlier. She seemed to calm down rather quickly."

**[Interviewer]** "So after you found out these new things about Yamanaka-san, would you say that your relationship with her changed in any way?"

**[Akiyama] **"Well, _no_, not really. We promised Sawa-chan that we would tell _no one_ outside the club about this, so we had to act as if we had never found out. But I wouldn't say our friendship was _strained_ or anything like that. Everything around school was the same… Until that day Konata called all of us to have a meeting."

**[Interviewer]** "Konata? You mean Konata Izumi?" ***Akiyama nods* **"What meeting?"

**[Akiyama]** "Well, she sent text messages to everyone in the band and the three friends that followed Kuroi-san that day. We all ended up meeting at Mugi's house, and it was there that Konata told us that…" ***Akiyama pause from apprehension*** "She told us then that Kuroi-san wanted to propose to Sawa-chan."

* * *

**[Continuing excerpt of interview of Konata Izumi with Channel 5]**

**[Interviewer]** "You sent your teachers to a _what?_"

**[Izumi]** "A lesbian bar. I wanted Nanako and Sawako to get closer, and I thought it would have been the perfect place to send them on a date. But I messed up. _Big time_. You see, when I sent Nanako through the mail the fake flyer for the place, she chose _then_ to be the night she would propose to Sawako, thinking I sent them to a _nice_ restaurant.

The day I sent them it was the bar's cosplay night. Nanako _hated_ the place and she had to postpone the proposal. When I saw her the next day she was still furious. She gave me so many bumps in my head I thought they would _never _go away. But after school, she told me and the others that she wanted to ask Sawako to marry her…

Jeez, I felt like the biggest piece of ***Expletive Deleted*** when I found that out. I mean here I was, trying to help them out, and I just made it worse! I vowed right then and there to Nanako that I would make it up to her. That night I texted everyone from Houkago Tea Time (as well as Kagamin, Miyuki, and Tsukasa) to meet up so I could tell _HTT_ about the news. We all ended up at Mugi's mansion."

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview with Tsumugi Kotobuki with Channel 1]**

**[Kotobuki]** "When Konata messaged me saying that she and her friends wanted to meet with all of us in Houkago Tea Time, I was curious as to what was going on. Since it was such large meet-up, I volunteered to have everyone show up at my house. We all met up in my room, had some tea and cake, and talked just idly for a bit. Then, Konata told us the truth that Kuroi-san wanted to propose to Sawa-chan."

**[Interviewer] **"And how did you and the others react?"

**[Kotobuki]** "Well… we screamed. Kind of _loudly_, actually. It was just such a big shock, you know? They then explained to us how Konata attempted to set Sawa-chan and Kuroi-san on a date, but ruined Kuroi-san's plant to propose _that_ night."

**[Interviewer]** "How did _that_ happen?"

**[Kotobuki] **"Konata sent them to a place Kuroi-san didn't agree to, causing her to postpone her proposal. But that was what Konata called the meeting for: to think up another date suitable for Kuroi-san to propose."

**[Interviewer]** "And what was finally decided?"

**[Kotobuki]** "We decided on a very _exclusive_ and up-scale place, somewhere that would be perfect. I suggested the Aragawa, a restaurant my father owns."

**[Interviewer]** "You mean your father, _the_ Holt Kotobuki, owns the Aragawa?"

**[Kotobuki]** "Well, _partly_ owns it. Anyway, everyone seemed to agree, and that day we got a reservation for the two of them, plus one for the nine of us, so we could stick close to Nanako and give our support."

**[Interviewer]** "And seeing how they're married _now_, it must have been a success, right?"

**[Kotobuki]** "Well, I guess. It's weird. When Kuroi-san popped the question, Sawa-chan pulled her out of the restaurant, where they went to this playground and talked for a bit. After that, they just sort of headed home. It wasn't until nearly a week later that we found out that she had said 'Yes'. It was kind of strange, really."

**[Interviewer]** "Yes, strange. Now, as you are probably aware, Japanese law recognizes same-sex couples but same-sex _marriages_ are illegal. Could you please explain to us how they were able to wed?"

**[Kotobuki] *Grins*** "Oh, we had our loophole."

* * *

**[Excerpt of interview of Miyuki Takara with Channel 3]**

**[Interviewer]** "So, if you would, tell us about the plan you and Tsumugi Kotobuki devised."

**[Takara]** "Oh, it was a simple plan, really. It just called for a bit of investigation. Since Japan did not allow same-sex couples to wed, it was a simple matter of finding another country that _did_. Kotobuki-san was _extremely_ helpful in doing this, with the connections her father possessed. We finally decided upon Canada, where foreigners could travel to the country and wed under their laws. Kotobuki-san and I also planned a lovely honeymoon for them as well: a week's stay in Okinawa."

**[Interviewer]** "That must have cost a lot of money to set up."

**[Takara]** "Well, I suppose it did, but the expenses were split up a bit, though Kotobuki-san was willing to spend more. While I paid for the airfare for return tickets to both Canada and Okinawa, Mugi fully paid for the accommodations in both countries and also hired a translator for the wedding."

**[Interviewer]** "That _is_ a lot to spend. I bet both teachers are really appreciative to you both."

**[Takara]** "Oh yes, they are. But honestly, I'm just glad to see them happy together."

**[Interviewer]** "And it's been happily ever after for those two, right?" ***Chuckles***

**[Takara]** "Hmm. I suppose so. Well, nothing that caused the two get at each other's throats, at least…"

* * *

**[Interviewer] *Looks at camera*** "This is Michiyo Yamashita for Channel Ten with the married couple that has all of Japan talking. With me today are the two that have been called by some the 'Legendary Women S and N'. Respectively, Sawako Yamanaka and Nanako Kuroi." ***Looks to interviewees*** "Thank you very much for giving us this exclusive interview."

**[Kuroi]** "Thank _you_."

**[Yamanaka]** "No sweat.'

**[Interviewer]** "Your love story has taken Japan by storm. Some say it has been a great leap forward in gay and lesbian rights movements across the country. So, I have to ask, what are your _personal_ views on the matter? Miss- Oh, sorry, _Misses_ Kuroi?"

**[Kuroi]** "Well, honestly, it's sort of awkward for me. I mean, why _us_, you know? It could have been another couple that got all this attention just as easily as we did."

**[Interviewer]** "Interesting. And _you_, Yamanaka-san?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Well, personally, I kind of _like_ this attention. We _all_ want to leave an impact on this world, right? Some people write books, some people compose operas, and others slaughter their families. _We_? We helped people come out of the closet. That's good enough for me."

**[Interviewer]** "S-Slaughter their families?"

**[Yamanaka]** "It was a joke, honey. Lighten up."** *Kuroi gives Yamanaka slight glare***

**[Interviewer]** "R-Right, of course. Well, I suppose the question on everyone's minds is 'How did it all begin?' Many already have traced your roots to Ryoko University, but I'm sure many young lovers out there are interested in this: When did you two realize that you two were meant to be together?"

**[Yamanaka]** "That's kind of a weird question to ask. You make it out to sound like some sort of fairy tale. Trust me, it was no fairy tale."

**[Interviewer]** "But it _did_ have a happy ending, didn't it?"

**[Yamanaka] *Glances at Kuroi*** "Hmm. Yeah, I guess it _did_. But to answer your question… To be honest, I think _I_ was the one that fell in love _first_, even though it was Nanako that did the admission."

**[Kuroi] *Looks at Yamanaka*** "Oh? What makes you say _that_?"

**[Yamanaka] *Looks at Kuroi*** "Oh, I'm sure. Listen to _this_."** *Look back to interviewer*** "So it was Christmas Day of my second year in the university (Nanako's first), which meant it was 1997. Nanako had invited me over her house for Christmas Eve and I stayed over that night. The next day we open our presents (I got Nanako some video game and she got me a music CD.) Once that was done, we spent nearly the rest of the day walking around her town, just hanging out and doing nothing." ***Begins to chuckle*** "Then, as we're heading back, she stops and says she has something to tell me, and the _whole_ time I'm thinking 'Oh God, is she going to confess!' ***Laughs***

**[Kuroi] *Blushes*** "S-Sawako! You were really thinking that?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Yeah Nanako, I _really_ thought you were going to confess that day. But Yamashita-san, all she really wanted to say was that she lied about how much her gift to me cost!" ***Near-uproarious laughter***

**[Kuroi] *Blushes from embarrassment*** "H-Hey! I don't find this as funny as _you_ do, Sawako!"

**[Yamanaka] *Laughter subsides*** "Sorry, Nanako, sorry. Just thinking back about it makes me laugh."

**[Interviewer] **"Yamanaka-san, would you be able to pin-point an _exact_ moment where you realized that your friendship with Nanako was more than a friendship?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Hmm, an _exact_ moment? Well, I kind of always thought Nanako was cute, even when I _didn't _like girls. I guess it was when one day Nanako took me to this rave. I had never been to one before. I remember this guy trying to hit on me and she came in and sent him packing. Maybe it was _then_, but I'm still not sure."

**[Interviewer]** "And _you_, Kuroi-san?"

**[Kuroi]** "Hmm. Well, I guess I kind of _always_ liked Sawako, they way she always acted so tough. She was kind of a scary person back then."

**[Interviewer]** "Mm-hmm. Yes, there have been rumors that _you_, Yamanaka-san, were quite the delinquent back in your university days. Care to set the records straight?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Well, I'll admit, I was kind of a rebel back then. I was the lead guitarist and singer of a band 'Death Devil,' back when I was a high school student in Sakura. After I graduated from Ryoko, I realized that I couldn't keep acting that way I did forever, not if I wanted to become a teacher. Just as the other members of the band had split-up and gone their separate ways, I did the same."

**[Interviewer]** "Any chance 'Wild Sawako' will make a reappearance any time soon?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Only in the bedroom."

**[Kuroi]** "Sawako!"

**[Interviewer] **"_CUT!_"

* * *

The second Michiyo gave the order, the filming came to a halt and the recording studio sprung back to life. The room the interview was being recorded in instantly filled with ambient working noise. As the others went about their business, Michiyo, no longer under the watching eye of the camera, let her _true_ colors fly.

Michiyo was one of Japan's most renowned reporters, known for her work in several major stories in the last ten years. Her looks (as one would assume a person in the news news industry would be) were stunning, her well endowed figure adding to the package. She wore this day a red, low-cut blazer that showed much of her cleavage, her medium-length brown hair now slightly frazzled.

Her pleasant sounding voice dropped in an instant when the cameras turned off, making way for a harsh, almost gritty one. Her right hand went right for the space underneath her chair and she retrieved the pack of cigarettes she had placed there shortly before the interview start. She retrieved a single fag and quickly lit it, taking a deep inhale of the smoke and blowing it out in the couple's general direction.

Her now _quite_ annoyed eyes fell back onto the two, but were more so aimed at Sawako. "Damnit," she began, "did you not get the hint of 'keep it clean'? This entire interview is being broadcast at a later date and the network does _not_ like it when edits need to be made."

"Oh _what?_" Sawako said back. "I make one little joke and you threaten me with the network? A little editing out isn't going to hurt anyone."

"Sawako," Kuroi chimed in, "just try to watch your words a bit, ok? We have too much to do after this interview _already_."

Sawako heaved a sigh of her own. "Fine," she relented. The interviewer blew another thick cloud of smoke in the couple's direction, the acrid aroma gracing the auburn-haired woman's nose, inciting long-repressed addictions. "…H-Hey," Yamanaka then said to Michiyo, "could I have one of tho- _Ouch!_"

Sawako was cut short by a sharp pinch in her side, courtesy of Nanako. "I don't _think_ so," she warned. "You _quit_, remember?"

"Ugh. Yeah yeah, don't remind me." She was forced to watch as Michiyo continued to smoke her aggravations away.

"Just keep the fucking language out of the interview, ok? We're going to redo the last question, and _this_ time, give an _appropriate_ answer," Yamashita further enforced. She stubbed the cigarette out and she waited for the smoke haze to completely clear before she demanded that the interview resume. "Ok, let's get this moving people!"

When the camera turned back on, her sweet voice and demeanor returned.

* * *

**[Interviewer]** "So, any chance "Wild Sawako" will make a reappearance?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Hmm, maybe. It took a long time to put that part of my past behind me so it might be troublesome if that part of me came back. It took me a lot of hard work to become a teacher and I'd rather not let that go to waste."

**[Interviewer]** "Right, of course. Now, with all the support you two have received, there has been just as much, if not_ more_, opposition. Various religious groups have granted you such titles as 'The Harbingers of the Devil.' They have seen the revolution you two have stirred-up as the degradation of the morals of society. What are your thoughts on this? Kuroi-san?"

**[Kuroi]** "Oh wow, that's what they've actually said? Jeez… Sort of harsh, don't you think? Well… I don't think we're doing anything to _force_ people to change. This 'sexual revolution?' If you ask _me_, we're just giving men and woman the courage to come out and freely admit their sexuality. I don't think were 'converting the masses' or anything.

**[Yamanaka]** "I'm with Nanako on this. These idiots think we're trying to corrupt their women or something?"** *Laughs, looks directly at camera*** "Hey, protesters! If you're watching this right now, listen to _this_: these girls and women that are suddenly 'turning to the dark side' and admitting that they are lesbians? They were probably lesbians _way_ before _we_showed up. _You_ just kept them scared to be _true_ to themselves!" ***Aims finger at camera*** "So who are the _real_ monsters here? _Huh!_"

**[Interviewer]** "Hmm, harsh words. This might reflect poorly against you-"

**[Yamanaka]** "You think I give a ***Expletive Deleted*** about _them_? If they can get away with calling us agents of the Devil, we deserve the right to call them ***Expletive Deleted*** right back!"

**[Interviewer]** "_CUT!_"

* * *

"For the love of fucking God!" Michiyo yelled. "Did you even hear what I just said!"

"Hey," Sawako shot back. "You are _not_ deleting that last bit. I want that played when this thing airs on the news, got that? Put in censoring noise if you must but I _demand_ that the public hear that!"

The interviewer voiced a loud groan. She looked to Nanako. "Can't you talk some sense into her, _please_?"

Kuroi paused. "… Actually, you know what? I _second_ that."

"What?"

"I want that broadcasted too. Though it _probably_ could have been better worded, I agree with Sawako."

Again, the interviewer heaved a groan of frustration. "Damnit, _fine_! You want that shit to air? Have it your way!" She took a long drag from her cigarette. "Listen, we only have the final words to film. You thing you can get through _that_ without fucking it up?"

"Sure," Yamanaka replied with an almost devilish grin. "Not a problem."

* * *

**[Interviewer]** "Kuroi-san, Yamanaka-san, thank you very much for granting Channel Ten this exclusive interview."

**[Yamanaka]** "Thank _you_ for having us."

**[Kuroi]** "Thank you."

**[Interviewer]** "Before we leave, are there any parting words you wish to give?

**[Kuroi]** "Hmm. Well, I suppose I should say to follow your feelings and don't be afraid to admit your true self. Also, don't worry about what others think of you, because in the long run, it doesn't even matter."

**[Interviewer]** "And _you_? Yamanaka-san?"

**[Yamanaka]** "Uh… Don't do drugs and stay… in… school?" ***Yamanaka chuckles, Few members of staff laugh off-camera***

**[Interviewer] *Chuckles*** "Well put. Again, thank you for this opportunity to talk. I wish you two the best of luck in the future."** *Look back to camera*** "This is Michiyo Yamashita for Channel 10. Have a nice evening."

* * *

_ Aaaaand… CUT!_

"Finally!" Michiyo, the instant the camera stopped filming, shot up from her chair, grabbed her cigarette pack, and quickly marched toward the door that led outside, barking a few quick orders as she did. "Let's pack up this shit and get the fuck out of here."

The staff did as instructed and scrambled to take down the set, leaving Sawako and Nanako in their chairs, wondering what to do next. Finally, a young intern walked over to them and handed gave them a few rushed words, handing them each a water bottle as he did. "Good job ladies, you were very good."

"Uh, t-thanks," Kuroi replied as she took the bottle. "I think we just pissed her off."

"Oh, Michiyo? No, she's always pissed. Angriest woman in the business, they say. Well, interview's over, you can leave whenever. There's food over there." He gave a fleeting glance to a table against the wall to the two's left, which held host to a plethora of boxes of doughnuts, as well as at least three kettles of coffee to choose from. "Uh, again, good job, I have to go." And just like that he hurried off to do more work.

After raising an eyebrow, Sawako turned to her wife of now two weeks. "I'm getting the feeling that we're being kicked out."

"Yeah, I'm getting that feeling too…" Kuroi replied. "Well, want to get some coffee before we go anyway?" Sawako nodded back. The two then got up and fixed themselves their individual drinks, taking a moment to watch the organized chaos that was the studio's disassembly.

"… Hey, Nanako?" said Sawako as they stood by and continued to watch.

"Yeah?" she said back.

"What did you think of Michiyo?"

"Michiyo? Seemed she didn't like us too much. Not like you _help_ with tha-"

"Yeah yeah, I meant what do you think of _her_? You think she's attractive?"

"E-Eh? Uh, well, I guess she _was_ pretty attractive."

"She had quite the rack on her, am I right?"

"Yeah, she d- Wait! Where are you going with this, Sawako?"

The bespectacled woman gave another devilish grin. "Well…" she drew out. "I was wondering if, maybe, you would agree to invite her for a little… _fun_."

This time, it was _Nanako_ that raised an eyebrow. "Fun?" she repeated. "What _exactly_ do you mean by _fun_?"

The grin widened. "_You_ know…"

It took the blonde a moment to think about it, but suddenly it hit her. "S-Sawako?" she shot back. "Y-You don't mean- You're not suggest a…" She leaned in closer to Yamanaka to whisper the next words. "… A _threesome!_"

"Yep. That's _exactly_ what I'm suggesting. You game?"

Nanako's face turned bright red in the blink of an eye. "S-Sawako, you can't be _serious_! W-We've been married for only a couple of weeks and you want to have a _threesome_? With someone we barely know?"

"So is that a 'no'?" Sawako asked. In response, Nanako said not a word, instead turning her reddened face and eyes down to her cup of coffee. It was all the answer Sawako really needed. "So you _don't_ disapprove. Excellent. So you're game then?"

"… Y-Yeah, I guess so… But good luck trying to convince her. Her disposition toward us is probably kind of low."

"Oh don't worry about _that,_ honey. You just leave the convincing to _me_." She took one last sip of her coffee before placing it on the table and heading off alone in the direction Michiyo fled. She followed the directory signs that hung from the ceiling until she found an exit that led to the brisk outside air. Against a section of wall ten feet from the door leaned Yamashita. In the few short minutes after the interview had ended, she had sucked down one cigarette had had just lit another one as Sawako had stepped out.

Michiyo turned at the sound of Sawako arriving. She was still none too pleased with her. "What do _you_ want?" she nearly spat at Sawako.

Sawako took a measured step forward. "I first wanted to apologize to you about how I acted. I guess I _did_ get a little out of hand there. Sorry."

The woman blinked. "Don't apologize to _me_," she deadpanned, taking another drag, "apologize to the network. It's _they_ that will be breathing down your neck."

"Yeah… Um, well, there was something _else_ I wanted to tell you."

This time she really snapped back at her. "_What?_ What is it?"

It was Yamanaka's time to shine. She put a soft grin on her visage and, after folding her arms behind her back, took slow steps toward the other. She spoke further not with trepidation, but with _clear_ determination. "Well, Nanako and I were just talking, and, well, we decided that-" She took a intentional pause to give Michiyo an obvious "up-down" glance of her eyes. "Well, we liked what we saw today."

"… _Excuse_ me?" Yamashita deadpanned back.

"Come on, don't be so coy. I think me and Nanako would know a good-looking woman when we see one… And I'm looking at one right now."

"Are you hitting on me?"

"Hmm, _maybe_. What if I was?"

She took another extended drag of her cigarette. "Then I'd tell you that you were barking up the wrong tree, hun. I don't swing that way."

"Don't _need_ to," Sawako said back. "No matter which team you play in baseball, you can _still_ have fun. Know what I mean?"

"… If you got something to say then fucking say it."

"Hmm, alright then. You're not one to mince words, so I'll just say it: Nanako and I would like _you_, Michiyo, to join us in a threesome."

The cigarette dropped from the interviewer's hand, her body now paralyzed in shock. "… Y-You're fucking with me," she stuttered, "aren't you?"

"Oh no," Sawako said back, giving her a shake of her head. "We're actually quite serious about it." She advanced forward a few steps, putting herself within arm's reach of Michiyo. "So how about it, hmm? Feeling like having a bit of fun with the two or us?"

Yamashita was still apprehensive about the whole thing, as the expression on her face clearly showed. She averted her eyes from Sawako, moving them to her right, to the brick wall. "I-I still think you're barking up the wrong tree…"

"That so…?" Her eyes fell upon the reporter's incredible bust, to left breast pocket of her blazer. There sat the clear bulge of a cellphone within said pocket. It was in that moment that Sawako got _another_ idea. Her right hand suddenly shot toward the pocket and reached into it. Michiyo shut her eyes and her body tensed up at the touch, fully expecting Yamanaka to commence with groping her breasts, but they quickly reopened when she felt nothing. Sawako had slipped the phone from the pocket and began typing something away with the keypad. "W-What the-? What are you doing with my pho-?" she began to protest.

Before she could finish, Sawako had already finished and handed back the phone. It was opened to her contacts list and it showed a new entry: "Yamanaka." She looked back up to Sawako's still grinning visage. "What is this?" she asked her.

"It's my personal cell number," Sawako answered back. "If you decide to join in, give me a ring, ok?" She then turned back to the door and walked toward it, giving her hips a slight but noticeable shake to them. Sawako had just placed her hand on the doorknob when Michiyo called out to her.

"W-Wait!" she said. Sawako turned back to her. "… M-My schedule is free tonight, after 21:00. I-If we could meet up then-?"

"Text me the location and I'll make sure we show up." Sawako gave Michiyo a quick wink before stepping back inside, where she met back up with an awaiting Nanako at the coffee table.

"… _So_?" Kuroi asked upon her return.

"_So_," Sawako answered, "you better brush up on your _positions_, because I just got us entertainment for the evening."

* * *

**[Author's Notes]** You know, I almost forgot to write this chapter. I was partly through what is now Chapter 7 and I remembered "Fuck, I had the interview chapter to do." XD So, this gives a brief glimpse in the time after Sawako and Nanako got back from their honeymoon and before the end of "Encore!" Not much else to say. Reviews are once more appreciated, and we'll return to "Konatsu" in Chapter 7 :3**  
**


	7. A Suffering Heart

Chapter 7

_"Pity the selfishness of lovers: it is brief, a forlorn hope; it is impossible"_

_-Elizabeth Brown_

-o0o-

Konata had fallen for her student, Ritsu Tainaka. _That_ much was certain in the bluenette's mind. And ever since that moment after their first date together, she had been left with an undeniable longing for her. It was a thought that lingered in the back of her mind throughout the whole week, one that permeated for what seemed like all hours of the day: during school, at home, _everywhere_. Sometimes, she dreamt of Ritsu.

But Izumi was no wimp. Throughout that entire week, she kept her social appearance intact, keeping her friends and family unaware of her smoldering wants. She went through the week as she normally did, committing no social acts that were out of her character, but ever present in her head was the hope that on Saturday she would once more meet with Ritsu and quell the fires within her.

Ritsu had texted Konata sometime during the middle of the week that she would give her another text that Saturday to confirm that she could hang out. From the moment Izumi had woken up that day, she kept her cellphone on her person at all times (as opposed to keeping it in a drawer in the desk of her room, which she usually did.) Noon rolled around and she received nothing from Tainaka. At twelve-thirty, her father Sōjirō left to submit another manuscript to a publishing company, stating he would be away for not too long. Konata knew better: Sōjirō would most likely fall asleep on the train ride back and ride it back and forth down the line, thus adding a few _hours_ to his journey.

"_Come on Ricchan_," Konata said in her head as her father left. "_If there was any time to come over, it would be **now!**_" She waited in the living room and attempted to sedate her mind with some television, which seemed to work for the time being.

Finally, at 13:00, her phone rang with the polyphonic ringtone of "Hare Hare Yukai." The song had barely got underway when Konata snatched it from her pocket and checked the display. "Ricchan" it said.

"Hey Ricchan," she answered, doing her best not to sound over-excited.

"_Hi Konata. How you doin'?_"

"Fine, fine. So, is it ok? Will you be able to stop on by today?" Izumi prayed she would say "Yes."

"_... Actually…_" Already, the blunette's heart began to sink. "_Sorry Konata, but the rest of the band agreed to do an all-day practice session today. I tried to tell them I had plans, but they insisted on doing it today._

_ But I suppose it doesn't matter, right? We can always meet up next week._"

_"It doesn't matter."_ Three words never had more of an impact on Konata then what those three did just then. Already, her little heart felt like it was being ripped in half, her body denied the relief to her urges. She wanted to scream back into the phone "So my pain is of no importance to you, is it!" She _wanted_ to say that, but she didn't.

"… Yeah, sure," her now sullen voice answered. "Next week. Sure."

"_You ok, Konata? You sound a bit under the weather, and I don't mean that you're sick._"

Izumi quickly added a bit of pep in her voice. "Oh, I'm fine, really. You're right; we can just do this next week. See you then!"

"_Ok. Sorry about this, Konata, but duty calls, you know?_" There was a split-second of silence from Ritsu. "_Thanks for understanding_._ Ok, bye!_" She then hung up.

Izumi slipped the cellphone back into her pant pocket, her large green eyes falling to the surface of the kotatsu her legs were tucked under. An entire week of anticipation was dashed in a single phone call. Before she got too emotional about it, Izumi attempted to rationalize this turn of events. "_Well, I suppose it was kind of foolish of me to put all that expectation on her showing up. After all, she is her own woman, with her own responsibilities, with her **own** life. I can't expect her to come by whenever it's most convenient for **me**._

_ Ok, next week then._

_ Next week…_"

-o0o-

Konata's _first_ week sans Ritsu was a breeze for her to endure. Her _second_ week, however, turned out to be a bit more of a struggle. The thought of the girl Tainaka, which had previously been in the _back_of her thoughts, was now steadily creeping its way to the forefront of her mind. Ritsu was beginning to become an obsession to the otaku.

Only _now_ was this beginning to affect her social life. She did not want to disturb Ritsu's personal life, so she refrained from calling her. For the second week, she was losing a little more sleep every night, and not because of gaming sessions. For some reason, she had begun to stop attending _those_. Also, and perhaps as a direct result of her lack of sleep, her school work had taken more of a decline. Her closest friends (Miyuki, Tsukasa, and Kagami) had taken notice of this change in her behavior and actually questioned her a few times about it. Konata's reply nearly every single time was "I'm fine, really. It's nothing."

Then when Friday of the second week came about, at a point during the evening when Konata was home (catching up on some manga reading in the quiet of her room), she received a text from Ritsu. At the seeing of her name on her cellphone's display, her heart lit up once more, just _hoping _that tomorrow would be clear for her. She read the message.

_Sorry Konata, all-day session with HTT at Mugi's tomorrow. Can't come. Next week. Promise._

…

"… Why?" Konata whispered back to her phone, as if she was expecting to literally say something back. "Why are you avoiding me, Ritsu? I thought you _wanted_ to be with me. Were you just lying then-?"

There came a knock on the girl's door. "Konata?" asked her father, Sōjirō, from the other side. "Who are you talking too? Some of your gaming friends?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I was," she replied hastily.

"Um, Konata, I'd like to have a word with you. May I come in?" This took Konata by surprise, as Sōjirō was not one to spring father-daughter moments at random. She was an inch from replying "Yes," but she realized that her computer was off. If he saw that, her previous reply would be contradictory. "Uh, not now," she said back. "Maybe in a few minutes."

"Oh, ok. Well in that case, just meet me in the office." The "office" was the small downstairs room that Sōjirō used exclusively to write in. It was a room that Konata had not been allowed inside in years (at the command of her father.) She took this change of heart as a _very_ bad sign.

She waited ten minutes after Sōjirō had retreated to the downstairs until she did the same. The door to the previously off-limits room was located to the left of the bathroom door. She approached it but before reaching for the knob, she paused. Why was she feeling so nervous? she wondered to herself. Finally she forced her hand and knocked. Sōjirō answered from within with a "Come in."

Konata opened the door and poked her head inside. The wall to the immediate left, right, and the wall opposite the door was an entire bookshelf, completely stocked with books. The smell of paper was the first scent she smelled upon opening the door. A dim light in the center of the ceiling bled a light tan hue throughout the entire room, giving a warm feeling to it. A desk was set against the second wall, the only one free of books, and a laptop computer connected to a printer set adjacent. And it was behind this desk that Sōjirō sat.

"Come over here for a second." Sōjirō was wearing his readers, a small pair of glasses with rectangular lenses. Konata approached the desk and stood a few feet in front of it, awaiting her father to speak further. He paused for what seemed to the girl an eternity before he finally asked her "Is something wrong, Konata?"

"… Dad?" she said back. It was all she really _could_ say back as, again, this type of gravity from her Dad was not something often showed.

"I noticed that you haven't been up playing with your friends in your online games. I _know_ this because when I walk by your room at night I don't hear you talking to anyone."

The otaku thought quick and formulated an excuse. "The, uh, person that usually leads our raids said he was going to be out for a while, so I saw no point in playing." It was the best she could think up at such short notice. And Sōjirō didn't buy it one bit. Raid leader or not, he knew her daughter would never past up the opportunity to play with her friends online. There was something else at play here, that much he knew for certain.

"Are things going well in school?" he then asked.

"Oh, things are fine. Yep, fine." Her voice held little confidence. Her father saw right through her false words.

"Konata, dear, if you can't be honest with me, I won't be able to help you," said Sōjirō.

"Who said I needed your _help_?" she suddenly snapped back. "Dad, really, I'm _fine_. Can I go now?"

Sōjirō sighed but confirmed her daughter's request. "Yeah, go ahead." She left the room and shut the door behind her, leaving the man alone to ponder. He _knew_ something was amiss with Konata. There was no doubt in his mind that there _was_, but there seemed little chance of him getting her to admitting anything. Not _now_, at least.

The man looked to the right of the laptop computer, to the small framed picture that stood adjacent. It was a picture of his dear departed wife: Kanata. Her immortalized visage seemed to give Sōjirō a smile intended just for him.

"Kanata," Sōjirō said at the picture. "What do _you_ think I should do? She's not going to tell me anything _willingly_. And here I thought we were close as father and daughter…" He looked at the picture for another moment, and then began to nod back at it, as if Kanata were speaking to him right then and there. "Hmm, _maybe_…" he said back. "Ok then. I'll call Konata's teacher tomorrow… Thanks, Kanata."

She smiled back. She always smiled…

-o0o-

The bathroom set-up of the Kuroi/Yamanaka household was a very common one of Japanese households. The room itself was narrow in dimensions, the entire left wall was a single countertop with mirror, and at the end opposite the door was the bathtub. And on this evening, it was in use.

Sawako slid her body further beneath the surface, submerging every part of her naked body up to her chin in warm, bubbly water. She leaned her head back on the edge of the tub and closed her eyes, allowing the warmth to take over her senses. It lasted for a good thirty seconds until her silence was interrupted by a ringing in her right ear.

It was the house phone, which had been taken off its wall-mounted receiver and placed on a small table next to the tub, to Sawako's right. "Damnit, who's calling _now_?" she muttered to herself before picking up the phone and answering it. "Hello, Yamanaka/Kuroi residence. Former speaking."

There was a split second of pause from the other end. "_Hello_," said an adult male voice. "_Is, uh, Kuroi-san there?_"

"Uh yeah, she is. Just one moment. Who may I say is calling?"

"_Tell her it's Izumi-san, please._"

Izumi-san. Sawako recognized that surname instantly. It belonged to the blue-haired otaku student of Nanako's, the one she often played online games with. "Just a second, please," she told the man before moving the phone away from her mouth and tightly cupping her other hand around the microphone. "It's for you, Nanako," she whispered to the other end of the tub.

Bathing in the same tub Sawako was, Nanako had been resting her head back at the opposite end. But when she heard her name mentioned she lifted it back up and set her eyes on Sawako. "Me?" she said back. "Who is it?"

"Izumi-san, but it's a _he_. Sounded like an older man."

"Oh it's probably Konata's father. Strange, he's never called me before. I wonder what's up…" Nanako leaned herself forward and cautiously took the phone from Sawako's hand as not to drop it in the water. She feared it might have been the last mistake she would have ever made.

"Hello, Nanako speaking."

"_Hello. This is Konata's father: Sōjirō."_

Kuroi straightened herself upright in the waters of the bath. "Izumi-san. Hello. What can I do for you?"

"_Well, I'm going to put it simply: have you noticed Konata acting differently in the past week or so?_"

"Different?" Nanako paused to think if she _had_ noticed anything off about her otaku student. "Hmm, can't really say I have-" Then a thought popped into her head. "Wait. She hasn't been joining in any of our party's raids in the past week or two, and she's usually one to _initiate_ raids." Nanako could see Sawako giving a mocking roll of her eyes from the other end of the tub.

"_Yes, I knew that much. I haven't heard her up in the middle of the night chatting with her friends on the computer. She usually spends the entire night playing, so this is starting to make me worry._" Nanako blinked at hearing this. She thought to herself that maybe Konata's father should be _glad_ she's not wasting her nights gaming. "_How have her grades been lately?_"

The teacher somewhat regretted what she was about to reply with, but she felt obligated to be truthful. "Well… not good, as _usual_." Again, she paused to think for a brief moment. "But now that you're making me think a bit more, she _has_ been falling asleep in class more often than usual. If she _hasn't_ been up gaming, then what _is_ keeping her up?" This last part was more of an aloud personal thought.

"_That's what I was thinking. There must be **something** causing this._"

"Have you tried to ask Konata about this?"

"_I tried having a talk with her last night, but getting an answer was next to impossible. She kept insisting she was fine no matter how many times I asked._"

"Hmm… Well, what do you think should be done, Izumi-san?" Nanako asked.

"_Well, if it's not too much trouble, just watch her a little bit closer for the next week or so._"

"I'll do more than that. I'll try and talk to her, see if I can root out the cause of this."

"_Thank you, Kuroi-san. Thank you very much for helping me._"

"Sure, Izumi-san. If there is anything else you wish to discuss, don't hesitate to call me back, ok?"

"_Ok. Thank you. Good night._"

Nanako waited to hear the click of the line disconnecting before she hung up and placed the phone on another small table next to the tub. She heaved a heavy sigh and returned back to the position she previously was: her head reclined on the tub's edge and her body submerged.

"So what was that about?" Sawako asked Nanako.

"That was Konata's father. You know who I mean by Konata, right?" Yamanaka nodded. "He was worried that she was acting differently lately. Honestly, I'm sort of mad at _myself_ for not noticing that something was off about her. Her lack of dedication to our party's raids should have struck a chord with me…"

Sawako wasn't sure how to input in the newly arisen dilemma. She instead decided to perhaps help her wife relax a small bit. "Hmm… Hey, Nanako, come here and let me wash your back."

Nanako nodded. She pivoted herself around in the waters and backed up closer to Sawako. Sawako grabbed off the table an hourglass shaped sponge, which she quickly dunked in the water and began to run up and down the length of Kuroi's back.

"Feels good, babe," Nanako sighed.

"So what do you think is up with Konata?" Yamanaka asked as she continued to clean the other's back.

"Hmm, not sure," Nanako replied. "I mean, if her father had not of called by now, I probably wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary about her. Jeez, some teacher _I_ am."

"Well maybe her _friends_ have noticed anything," Sawako then suggested.

"Yeah. _Yeah_, good idea. I'll call… Tsukasa Hiiragi. She sits near Konata so maybe she'll know what's up." Nanako leaned back forward, grabbed the phone, and leaned _fully_ back, resting herself neck somewhere in-between Sawako's breasts. Knowing the number by memory, she punched it in and awaited an answer.

-o0o-

A cellphone rang in Kagami's room. _Tsukasa's_ phone, and at its chime, the phone's owner lifted her head up from Kagami's bed. "A call?" she said aloud.

"T-Tsukasa? Why did you _stop_?" Tsukasa had just a few seconds ago lifted herself from in-between her sister's legs. The naked tsundere lifted herself upright to look Tsukasa in the eye. "I wasn't _finished_. Why did you stop?"

"I have a call, Onee-chan," she replied back.

"Forget the call!" Kagami's voice showed clear frustration. _Anyone_ would have been frustrated at stopping so close to a climax.

"Oh, sorry Sis, but I have to answer!" Tsukasa grabbed her phone from her pant pocket, which had been thrown onto the floor earlier, and answered the call. "Hello?"

Meanwhile, Kagami threw herself backwards onto the bed heaving a loud, aggravated sigh as she did. "Un-be-lievable," she seethed through clenched teeth.

"_Hey, Tsukasa, it's Nanako,_" said Kuroi from the other end.

"Kuroi-sensei? Oh, why have you called?" Kagami's interest _was_ piqued, but she was too pissed to sit herself up again.

"_Hey, listen, nothing to get worried about, but have you noticed Konata acting any differently in, oh, the past two weeks?_"

"Kona-chan? Umm… No, I can't say I really _have_. Sorry, Kuroi-sensei."

"_Hmm. Well, thanks for the help. See ya tomorrow._" And with that Nanako hung up.

Tsukasa slipped the cellphone back into her pant pocked and turned back to Kagami. "Hmm. Onee-chan, have_ you_ noticed anything different about Kona-ch- Eek!" The girl gave a quick shriek when she saw the flames that her sister Kagami was giving her. "O-Onee-chan?"

"I was _this_ close to coming, Tsukasa!" Kagami seethed. "You just don't stop when someone's that close! Jesus!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Onee-chan. Please, lie back down. I'll make it up to you right now."

The pigtailed girl fell backwards against the mattress again, and a few seconds later, felt the return of Tsukasa's tongue to her private area. It slid up and down the slit of Kagami's pussy, slowing down as it went over her clitoris. Her body began to tingle all over once more, quickly bring the girl's stimulation back up.

Soon, she felt the peak arrive. For whatever reason, she felt that this climax would be bigger than any Tsukasa had given her previously, which meant one thing for certain: Kagami was going to scream. She hastily thought of a way to stop her from yelling. She thought of biting down on something, like her index finger, but she _knew_ this would be pointless. She was going to yell no matter _what_ she did.

So, seconds before the moment hit, Kagami grabbed one of her spare pillows and threw it over her face. A mere second after the pigtailed girl reached her orgasm, and screamed at the top of her lungs into the pillow, the item thankfully muffling most of the noise. Once it had past she threw it off her face and made heavy, pleasure latent breaths to calm her pounding heart.

"Oh my God," was all she could manage to whisper. "Oh my God…"

Tsukasa crawled back atop of her sister, laying her body atop her, and plunged her tongue into Kagami's mouth. Kagami could taste her own juices as they kissed. "Man, Tsukasa," she said as their kiss broke for a moment, "how did you get so good so quickly?"

Tsukasa giggled back and replied "Practice."

"Ok then… _My_ turn."

-o0o-

"Anything?" Sawako asked Nanako.

"*Sigh* Nothing," the blonde said back. "Not that I expected her to notice, really. She's a good student, she just… seems to be just as spacey as Konata sometimes."

"There someone else you can call? Another friend of hers?"

Nanako thought for another second before stating "Takara. If anyone would be observant enough to notice something, it would be _her_." Also knowing Miyuki's personal cell number by memory, she punched it in and awaited her reply. The line rung one, twice, and a third time, and there came no answer. But Nanako listened until the eleventh ring before she decided to hang up. "She's not answering…"

-o0o-

And there was good reason she wasn't.

As Miyuki's cell phone vibrated at one end of Mugi's bed, she and Miss Kotobuki sat at the opposite end. Mugi leaned forward to place a few more soft kisses on Takara's lips before she commenced with their plans. The meganekko lifted her shirt over her head, revealing the lacy bra beneath, which came undone a moment after, allowing her pale and ample breasts to make their glorious appearance. Tsumugi could not hold herself back the second they appeared. She bent down and clamped her lips around the areola of the right breast.

This was Mugi's favorite thing to do with Miyuki: suck on her breasts. It took her this long (about two week's time) until she got to this point in their relationship, but she was extremely glad it finally happened. _Of course_ Mugi wanted to progress further with Takara, but her fetish with breasts was what kept her from forcing Miyuki further.

Miyuki seemed to voice a soft gasp at every lap of the other's tongue. Her left hand slowly migrated up her body and grasped her exposed left breast. She began to run her fingers across the nipple's surface, further exciting herself. Mugi then lifted her lips only to place her tongue in the other's cleavage, its tip running up and down the crevasse the two mounds made.

Mugi lifted her face from Miyuki's breasts again and scooted back a step. She took a pause before _she_ began to lift her shirt over her head. "K-Kotobuki-san?" Miyuki said once the article of clothing had been removed and tossed over the side of the bed.

"I want you to do it to _me_ now, Yuki-chan," Mugi said back as her bra snapped off, unveiling her own milky white pair of breasts. She scooted herself forward and leaned in to kiss Miyuki a few more times, the bare warm skin of both their busts making contact. It took Takara a few moments but she eventually lower her head to chest level of Tsumugi. The blonde in question shut her eyes and awaited the touch.

-o0o-

"Kona-chan? Kona-chan, wake up please. Kona-chan?"

Izumi's eyes popped open to face the site of the surface of her desk. She groaned herself upright and watched as the classmates around her got up from their chairs and headed toward the door. She assumed that this class, the last class of the day, was now over. She yawned and looked back to her desk. There was a large drool puddle where her mouth had been.

Konata turned to her left, to the person that had awoken her. It was Tsukasa. "Kona-chan," she said, a weak smile on her face, "you fell asleep in class again. We're all leaving now."

In her sleepy state, it took Konata a few seconds to register what she was just told. "… Oh… Then school is over then?" she asked Tsukasa back.

"Uh, yep, that was the last bell."

Izumi was glad. Today was Friday, which meant today was the day Ritsu would call. "_It's been three weeks. She **has** to call tonight. She has to…_"

Without giving Tsukasa as much as another look, Konata packed up her bag and began to head toward the door with the rest of the class. But before she made it into the hallway her teacher stopped her. "Izumi!" said Nanako Kuroi from her seated position behind the desk. "Stay here. I want to have a word with you." Konata remained standing in front of her sensei's desk until all the other students had filed out, leaving the room near empty.

Once the rest had left, Nanako held up a face-down piece of paper to Konata and asked "Do you know what _this_ is?"

Her eyes were blurred from sleep, thus taking her a prolonged moment before she replied. "Oh, it's the test we did yesterday."

"Wrong! This is _your_ test, Konata. Notice anything _odd_ about it?"

"… No, not really."

"It's _blank_. You didn't fill out one space on the paper, not even your _name_. Notice anything _else_?"

"… Hey, it has a water stain on it."

"Not water, Konata. It's _drool_ from when you _fell asleep_!" She slammed the paper back to the desk's surface. "Konata, is something going on I should know about?"

"… Eh?" she drowsily replied.

"You've fallen asleep in _every_ class you've had, you do _none_ of your homework, and _furthermore_, you look like _shit_!" And indeed Konata did: there were dark bags under her eyes, her hair was slightly but noticeably unkempt, and her skin seemed a shade paler than usual. "I'll ask again: is something going on that I should know about?"

"… N-No, Kuro-chan, I'm fine, really…"

"Kuro-cha-? Hey! Don't try to sweet-talk me or anything, missy! Listen, I _know_ something is up, so why don't you just tell me what it is!"

Konata was no longer even listening to Nanako. Her mind was on more _important_ things. She looked up to the clock above the door to her right. "_I should be getting home by now_," she told herself, and right in the middle of Kuroi's lecture, Izumi turned and left.

"H-Hey! Where are _you_ going?" Nanako yelled at Konata. The blue-haired girl continued forward out of the classroom and out into the hallway, not giving Nanako a single hint that she had heard her. Kuroi got up from her chair and stepped out of the classroom and watched the girl continued toward the main entrance of the school. "I'm talking to you! Come back her right _now_!" Nothing. Not a single look back. She just kept walking forward.

Nanako was now becoming _scared_ by this display. "Konata…" she now whispered to herself. "Why won't you open up?"

That night, Konata received nothing from Ritsu. Not a single call nor text message. Nothing. She fell asleep that night with little hope left in her heart.

-o0o-

Konata slept in incredibly late the next day, Saturday. When her eyes finally opened when she awoke from her slumber, the digital display on her alarm clock read 14:23. Normally she would be cursing at herself for sleeping this late and missing her anime. But today, such thoughts were of insignificant matter to her. In fact, there seemed to be little that occupied her mind and thoughts. She felt like an empty vessel, her body a hollow and brittle shell that housed little more than a dwindling sense of personal satisfaction.

It was a wonder Konata even found the strength to get out of her beg, get dressed, and go downstairs. In the kitchen her father left a note stating that he was off delivering another manuscript and that there were leftovers in the fridge. She didn't feel hungry. She was feeling little of anything these days.

Seeing as it was already becoming close to the evening, Izumi made the slow walk toward the living room. Perhaps staring at a television screen for a period of time would invigorate… _something_. She had made it to the hallway when the doorbell rang. "Dad," she assumed aloud as she went to the door and opened it up. The outside light seemed especially bright that day, causing Izumi to initially avert her eyes.

"Hey there," said the person at the door.

Female… And Konata knew the voice…

Konata forced herself to look into the sunlight and have her eyes adjust. It took a few seconds for her to do so, the finer features of the girl that stood before her coming more into view. The second she saw the stripe of yellow in her hair, there was no longer doubt in her mind.

"Ritsu?" Konata asked.

And indeed Ritsu stood before her. She gave Konata a quick nod. "Hey Konata. I-" She paused for a second and leaned in slightly to give the other's face a better look. "You feeling ok? You look kind of _off_."

"Uh, n-no, I'm fine, really," Konata hastily replied. And the award for biggest lie of the year goes to…

"Uh, ok. Listen, Konata, I'm _really_ sorry about not being able to hang out these past few weeks. There was this event at our school Houkago Tea Time was going to perform in and we all needed as much practice in as we could do from then until the day of the show. Unfortunately, that meant cutting into our time to hang. But that show was _yesterday_, and I'm glad to report we rocked the house."

"Oh… That's good." Hearing Ritsu's voice was unlocking something within Konata, something had had been forced to remain dormant for the past three weeks. It was her _passion_, her _desires_, her _drive_ for nearly all things. With her prolonged stint apart from Ritsu, the otaku was forced to (if not directly, then subconsciously) keep her desires contained. But somehow, when her sexual desires were repressed, her motivation for nearly all other things got tangled up with it.

But this was no longer a problem. Here before Izumi stood Ritsu Tainaka, the object of all her current lusts, desires, and cravings. With the flood gates of her subconscious now unlocked and opened, her libido was instantly set aflame with pure, raw, unadulterated sexual _want_. It took the otaku _every single bit_ of her strength she could muster to keep her body at bay and it seemed a miracle she was able to hold it back for as long as she did.

"So…" said Ritsu to break the small bit of silence. "Your dad's not home, is he? I mean, if we _do_ end up doing anything, I'd rather him not be here, you know?"

"Yeah. I mean no, he's not here. Uh, c-come in, please."

Ritsu entered the Izumi threshold and kicked off her shoes. She took a few steps forward before turning back around to Konata. "Uh, Konata?" she said. "Just so I know ahead of time, _did_ you intent to do _that_ kind of stuff today?"

Her head screamed "_YES! FOR THE FUCKING LOVE OF GOD, YES!_" But she had to keep her calm. After all, she was Ritsu's teacher, a model of how she should behave, and if the teacher fails, the _student_ fail. "Actually, I kind of did," Izumi replied. "Will that be a problem, Ricchan?"

"N-No, no problem. I just wanted to know... Well, seeing as we lost three weeks, you probably want to start right away, right?" Konata forced herself to nod only _once_ and not a thousand times like her mind wanted to. "Ok then… Well, lead the way, Konata."

Ritsu followed as Izumi led her upstairs to her room, where the two had been only once before. There was a distinct silence amongst the two as they entered. Both knew what was about to occur but both knew not how far it would progress. It's like knowing a bomb is about to go off when one does not know _when_ or how big of an explosion said bomb will produce.

Ritsu's nervous migrations eventually led to her sitting on the edge of Konata's bed, to which act Konata quickly sat beside her. Hormones within Konata continued to bubble within her, bringing the girl closer and closer to the point of breaking.

"… I'm going to guess we resume where we last left off, yes?" Ritsu asked. Izumi's excitement heightened yet again because this meant they were about to kiss. And it would most likely not be simple kisses, but _deepened_ ones.

"Y-Yeah," Konata replied. She pivoted herself atop the bed and sat on her legs, her front now aimed toward Ritsu. She waited for the other to do the same. After a short moment Ritsu pivoted herself to her left and sat atop the bed as well. Konata took this as her cue to take her 'rightful' place sitting on Tainaka's lap, bring arms around her waist at the same time. Ritsu did the same.

Once both held each other, Ritsu did as she had done before: she closed her eyes and imagined the girl she was holding as Mio Akiyama. After doing it once before doing it a second time was an easier task. The head-banded girl leaned her face forward until she finally felt the other's lips against hers.

The very instant the contact was made, Konata was no longer in control of her own body. All the bottled up feelings and urges suddenly burst forth, forcing her tongue to plunge into the other's mouth as far as it possibly could. Once within it began to thrash itself violently against the other's tongue. There was very little in the way of tenderness on Konata's actions. She kissed as if she were attempting to suck Ritsu's soul from her body.

And her crazed, hormone-driven acts did not stop there. She threw herself forward and pinned Ritsu under her. Both her hand shot straight to the bottom hem of Ritsu's shirt. The brunette noticed the touch and turned her head away to break the contact of the kiss, thus giving her the ability to speak for a brief moment. "K-Konata? What are you-?"

She had not finished the question before Izumi was already underway. In one swift movement the otaku lifted the shirt off Ritsu, revealing a bra that cupped around her small bust. It also knocked off her signature yellow headband, the bangs of her forehead falling forward, the tip of which reaching past her eyebrows. Though Tainaka's breasts were but a few steps in size above Konata's non-existent ones, Izumi cursed her body within her head and what small bust she was gifted.

"Konata, wait," said Ritsu again. "I thought you said that _I_ was supposed to do stuff first-" Her words went unheeded by her teacher. Konata shot her hands behind Ritsu's back and before the drummer had a chance to blink twice she found herself completely topless, her bra tossed aside over the edge of the bed. No time was put to waste: Konata immediately bent down and clamped her lips around the other's left nipple.

Ritsu gasped at this new sensation, this unusual wet touch against her skin. She threw her head backwards and looked upward toward the ceiling. Ritsu felt Konata's tongue run laps around the areola, causing her body to tingle more and more. After a few minutes the blue-haired girl switched to the right breast and resumed her work.

Suddenly, she stopped all together. The drummer lowered her gaze back down to Konata. "D-Did you finish-? AAH!" Ritsu screamed when she was met with the sight of Konata's hands grasping the button and zipper of her pants, her fingers scrambling to unfastening them. "W-wait, Konata, don't! Please, I'm begging you, stop!" Izumi continued regardless. "K-Konata! S-Stop! I-I said… **STOP!**"

The sudden exclaim caught the otaku by surprise. Her gaze lifted off Ritsu's lower half and lifted back to her face. "Ricchan?" she said. "What's wrong? D-Don't you want to learn more?" In truth, Konata's motivations at this point were purely to satisfy her _own_ needs, not to teach.

"K-Konata, I…" Ritsu averted her gaze just slightly. "I want to save myself, save _that_… for Mio." _Mio_. A name Izumi feared the reiteration of. "You understand what I mean, right? Konata?"

In that moment Konata remembered. She was the _teacher_, and as it had _always_ been with her and Ritsu, _she_ had to obey_ her_ orders. Though it pained her ever so much to agree, Konata had to abide by Tainaka's orders. "… Yeah…" Izumi finally answered. "I understand…" She felt close to shedding tears.

"… However," Ritsu then said. "I may be saving that part of me for Mio… I'm still willing to learn."

"… Ricchan? What do you-?"

"If it's ok with _you_, sensei… _I_ want to do _that_ to _you_! S-So I can be prepared, for Mio…"

In truth, Konata heard nothing past "_that_ to _you_," because the second she heard those words, her mind plunged into a blissful state of ecstasy. She wanted to _show_ Ritsu how she felt for her, but _receiving_ was an even more incredible prospect.

"I-_Is_ it ok, Konata?" Tainaka asked.

Izumi replied initially with the shredding of her clothing. Shirt, bra, socks, and then pants were all removed in that respective order, leaving her in only panties. Once near-naked, she fell backwards onto the bed, her head resting atop a pillow. "_Please_, Ricchan," she whispered. "Take me…" She left herself open for Ritsu to complete her stripping.

Ritsu hesitated after hearing those last words. It sounded less like the sage advice of a sensei and more or the words of a love struck teenager. Though a teenager Konata was, her role was suppose to be that of teacher, not partner. Nevertheless, Ritsu proceeded. Her cautious hands reached to the waistband of the Konata's underwear and she slowly slid them off, bringing into the light her hairless virgin pussy (not shaven, but _hairless_.)

Izumi parted her legs spread-eagle in preparation for the act. She shut her eyes and awaited the touch. "Make me come…" she whispered aloud, but it was in a voice so quite Ritsu did not hear it. Each second that ticked by felt like an eternity for the otaku. One… Two… Three… Fo- "Aaaah!"

The tip of Ritsu's tongue made contact with Konata's clitoris and it send a wave of fire-laced eroticism coursing throughout every nerve under her skin, causing her to outcry.

Ritsu paused her tongue at hearing the cry. "Konata? A-Are you-?"

"F-_Fuck_…" Izumi interjected. "Please, _don't stop_. No matter how loud I might get, for the love of God, just… make me come…" This time Ritsu_ did_ hear it.

And do she resumed, her wet tongue running it's slick surface against Konata's now throbbing clit. Each lap sent wave after surging wave of bliss through her body, causing to gasp at every touch, her mind drifting further into a state of nirvana. She soon felt her climax rise from within her. Already she knew this one was going to be big, _titanic_, and larger than any she had ever experienced before. It actually began to frighten her at how big it felt. "F-_Fuck_!" she exclaimed. "D-Don't stop! Keep going! H-Harder, Ricchan. Oh _shit!_"

Ritsu plunged her tongue deeper into Konata, the taste of her juices now ever stronger. She began to voice moans of her own, which actually caught Izumi off guard, as she never thought of Ritsu as the vocal type in bed. Tainaka increased her tempo and continued to lash as Konata's clit and she pushed the girl to her absolute limit. And then…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Konata reached her climax and released a scream that was as loud as her little lungs could muster. Her entire body turned as stiff as a board as the wave washed over her, only to turn as limp as a wet noodle shortly after. The orgasm was just as Izumi had feared: it was _massive_, so great, in fact, that it rendered her unable to move or speak. Her now glassed-over eyes gazed at the ceiling with a vacant look.

She had never felt as happy before than how she felt at that very moment.

Izumi's outcry actually frightened Ritsu. She cautiously lifted her head from in-between Konata's legs, locking her gaze onto the near-dead one Konata gave the ceiling. "… Konata?" she whispered, to which she received no reply. She crawled herself forward and laid next to her on the bed. "Konata?" she repeated. "Are you ok?"

Konata slowly turned her head to her right to meet eyes with Ritsu. She remembered opening her mouth to speak, but not getting the chance to do so. The next thing Konata knew, she was alone in the room. She awoke still atop her bed, a blanket placed atop her naked body. She quickly sat herself up and noticed the setting sun outside, meaning it had been at least a few hours since Ritsu had first arrived.

Her cellphone buzzed on her nightstand. It turned out to be a message from Ritsu, sent at a time shortly _after_ their intimate moment and after Konata fell asleep.

_You fell dead asleep after we did it. I let myself out… I assume I did well, right?_

Konata sent one back.

_Yeah. You did amazingly. Since you want to save yourself for Mio, I think your Yuri Zone has reached as far as we can push it._

A moment after, Tainaka texted back _So is the training complete?_

_Not yet_ Konata sent back. She didn't want the training to end, not after she had made her come like _that_. _One more lesson, and once you can pass this, you'll be ready for Mio_.

Secretly, Konata wished Ritsu would fail…

* * *

**[Author's Notes] **Well, this is by far the most sex I have ever put into a single chapter. All the pairings (sans Mitoshi) had their time to show a bit (if not a _lot_) of intimacy. Also, to be quite honest, I didn't like writing this chapter. I can't explain why, I just _didn't_. Well, I'm actually looking forward to writing the next chapter.

What _is_ the next chapter? Well, noticed that Mitoshi was left out of this chapter? Chapter Eight is devoted entirely to them, to a day that will changed them forever...

Also, Blast Beat is now officially an "M" rated story, if not for the content of _this_ chapter, then the content of the _next_ :3


	8. Deflowered

Chapter 8

In the back of Satoshi Tainaka's mind, he had wondered if this day would ever come, the day that would change who he was forever…

-o0o-

The very same day he and Misao Kusakabe met, they each made it official that they were going out. The boy wasted no time informing his friends at school the day after that he now had a high school girlfriend. Immediately they began to barrage him with questions: Who is she? What's her name? Is the hot? Have you two made-out yet? Satoshi was very much tempted to gloat and brag by answering their questions, but he instead had a much _better_ idea. For what felt like a first time for him, Satoshi had an upper hand over his friends: the anonymity of his girlfriend, and frankly, he liked the feeling. So, instead of answering, he kept his friends blissfully in the dark about the whole thing.

It had been about three weeks into their relationship. It had progressed at what seemed to the boy a rather quick pace. They pretty much did as many other couples did with their time together: they went to the movies, to amusement parks, or sometimes merely hung out at Misao's house (they, for whatever reason, never went to the Tainaka household.)

But in terms of intimacy, the progression was quick to rise but stuck at a certain level. It took but a few days to reach the level of "Second Base" and there it firmly remained (not that the lad was complaining, mind you.) More often than not, Satoshi's meeting up with Misao meant taking the short train ride to the girl's town, arriving at her home when her parents were away, and spending the entire day _there_ (usually to make out the entire time in her room.) But little did he know that this would soon change…

On the Friday night of Satoshi and Miaso's third week together, she sent the boy a text message asking if he could come by her house at noon tomorrow. This time and date turned out to be perfect for him for two reasons. One, Mister and Misses Tainaka would be gone for nearly the entire day, and two (since it was a weekend day) Ritsu would be sleeping in late into the afternoon, thus ensuring the boy Tainaka a clean chance of escape.

He woke up at around ten the next morning, Saturday. Upon his awakening, he listened to hear if anyone was up… nothing. So he got up himself, grabbed some clothing, and headed down the hallway toward the bathroom for a shower. As he past his sister's room, he could hear her soft snores from behind her door. "_Good, she's still asleep._"

Satoshi managed to get a hot shower in, get dressed, and have breakfast without waking his sister up, and by 11:30 he was out the door and into the warm spring air. He left at eleven-thirty because he knew that walking to the station in Sakura, taking the train to Ryoo, and then walking to Misao's house would take a bit of time.

Forty minutes saw the boy walking the sidewalk's length of a street in Ryoo, a cool breeze nipping at his nose, turning it slightly red (even though it was spring.) He was only a house away from the Kusakabe residence; he could already see it now. He casually approached the door and rang the doorbell, muffled footsteps sounded a few seconds later from behind the door. A short moment later the door opened and Misao was there to greet Satoshi. Her attire for the day was _quite_ casual: a pair of sweatpants and a slightly baggy t-shirt, something that looked no different than what one would wear as pajamas. Satoshi wondered if she had just gotten out of bed.

"Sato-kun!" she cheered in her usually peppy tone. Before the boy had time to step inside Misao had already leapt forward, clamped her arms around Satoshi's body, and planted her lips to his. This was how they _usually_ greeted each other: with a kiss. Satoshi reciprocated both gestures in return, the embrace lasting a few moments. "Hi Misa-chan," he managed to say back after the kiss. It had been about a month but his heart _still_ beat fast whenever they did anything like kiss.

It finally broke when Kusakabe leaned her head back and said "Well come on in, silly." The two walked back inside and Satoshi quickly slipped off his shoes. Upon entering, one of the first things to graze his senses was the aroma of brewing coffee in the air. "You're making coffee? At this hour?" he asked Misao.

"Yep," she replied. "You want some? Wait, _do_ you drink coffee?"

"Of course," he replied, and this wasn't Satoshi trying to act cool. Coffee had actually been a staple of the boy's breakfast since he turned eleven.

"Ok, how do you want it?" she then asked.

"Lots of cream and sugar."

"Thought so…" she giggled as she disappeared into the kitchen. As she prepared the beverages, Satoshi let himself into the adjacent living room and sat himself down on the loveseat that sat before the television. Ironically enough, this piece of furniture held host to _many _of the two's more intimate moments together.

He reached for the remote that sat atop an adjacent table and turned the television set on, quickly switching to an anime channel. He watched for a few minutes before he heard his girlfriend's bare footsteps slap against the hardwood floor as she entered the living room. She took a seat to the boy's right, making sure she leaned onto his shoulder and handed the boy his coffee. Again, the boy's heart beat faster at the touch.

She took a look at the television screen and she immediately gave a single chuckle. "Something funny?" Satoshi immediately asked her.

"Oh, nothing," she replied. "I just sometimes forget you're still a kid." Her eyes made an obvious glance to the screen so Satoshi would get what she meant.

"Hey, nothing wrong with watching cartoons at _whatever_ age you are," he defended. "The way you described that one girl- what was her name again?- _Konata_, she watches more of this stuff than _I_ do."

"True, true… But you're _still_ a _kid_," she joked. She always joked around with Satoshi like this, about him being a kid. He didn't like it at first, but the gag of her calling him a kid had quickly become too commonplace for him to complain about it.

The two (with Misao still leaning on the other's shoulders) watched television together for the next ten or so minutes, each taking the occasional sip of their coffee. As they did so, Satoshi was building up within himself his own personal confidence and courage. For what, you may ask? To ask Misao something had had been on his mind ever since they had _first_ officially been going out. It was a query that had plagued his thoughts, something he struggled to understand. Finally, today, he was going to ask.

"… Misa-chan?" he began.

"Yeah?" Misao asked back.

"I need to ask… Why _me_?" He had wondered this throughout their entire relationship. He pondered over the thought many _many_ times but came up with no clear answer. Frankly, it eluded him. After all, what kind of high schooler goes out with a kid that's still in _middle school_?

The girl remained initially silent. "Hmm?" she quizzically sounded back. "What do you mean?"

"Come on Misa-chan, let's be serious for a second here. I mean, _you're_ in high school and I'm still in _middle school_. W-Wouldn't you rather be with someone _your_ age?" The boy knew he was taking an enormous risk in saying these things. He had a feeling within him that told him _not_ to say what he just uttered, but the compulsion within him to know the truth was too great to ignore.

"Hmm…" said Misao, giving the sound of an individual in thought. "I guess I _could_…" Satoshi's heart chilled. Only _then_ did he _fully_ comprehend what he had just done. He _ruined_ it. He had what many of his age could only _pine_ to possess: a _high school_ **_girlfriend_**, and in one short question, he had just done away with her! The boy's inner thoughts _screamed_ obscenities at himself for committing what could possibly been the worst mistake anyone had ever-

"But why would I want anyone _else_?" she continued.

…

"… H-Huh?" Satoshi voiced.

"I _guess_ I could go out with someone from my school if I wanted to. I mean, I've been asked out before, _sure_. Lots of time, actually."

"… But you said 'No' to them?" Again another risk was taken. "Why?"

Misao gave the boy a fanged grin in response, leaning herself more so against his shoulder. "_Because_, Sato-kun, they weren't _men_, like _you_ are."

"… Did the definition of 'man' change recently and I didn't hear about it?"

The girl giggled. She took the now empty mug from Satoshi's hand and placed it and hers on a table adjacent to the loveseat. Then, before the boy could react, she mounted and straddled Satoshi's lap, the two now face to face. She leaned forward enough to slip her arms around the other's shoulders.

"I _mean_, Sato-kun," she explained, "that you're not like others. Not many people would be willing to take a grenade for a complete stranger like _you_ did. You got balls, that's for sure."

"Yeah, well, you were _still_ tagged out."

"Oh don't be so pessimistic. You thought about others before thinking of yourself. You're very noble, Sato-kun." She leaned forward further and rested her head on the boy's left shoulder, bring her arms _fully_ around him. "And that's why I like you… _that_ and you're just so _cute_."

"B-But that's _it? _But I'm years younger than you!"

"Oh but that's just _age_. It's just a number, you know?… What about _you_, Sato-kun?" Misao then asked him. "Wouldn't _you_ rather be with someone your age?"

"Well… No girls my age really like me," he answered.

Kusakabe voiced a sympathetic "Awww" and tightened her hug. "Why not? How could girls not like _you_?"

"Well, I always got really angry as a child. I threw _giant_ temper-tantrums in class because I always got bullied. I guess even after the bullying stopped and I calmed down a bit, people still remember me as 'that kid', the one that flipped out and threw a book at his teacher in the third grade."

"You threw a book at your _teacher_?"

"The guys behind me were throwing crap at the back of my head and when I turned around to tell them to cut the shit, the teacher yells at _me_. So, I threw a book at him for being an idiot."

"Awww" Misao cooed again. She lifted her head from Satoshi's shoulder and brought it face to face with his. "You poor thing. She leaned in and gave the boy a few quick kisses. "So, Sato-kun doesn't think he's worth of being called a man?"

"That's not what I was saying, Misa-cha-"

"Well, we can chance that _now_, if you want." She said this while giving her all-too-familiar fanged grin.

"W-What do you mean?" Satoshi stuttered.

Her grin widened. Misao slid backwards and stood up from off the couch, taking a few steps back, putting her entire figure in perspective for the boy. "I _mean_, Sa-to-kun," she explained, saying his name in a sing-songy manner, "I'll help you _become_ a man."

_Become a man…_ Those words echoed in Satoshi's mind, the implications _instantly_ clear. _"S-She wants to do… **that**…_" He began to internalize. "_Was this her plan all along for today? To do **this**!_" The boy's heart began to beat faster than it had ever done before, brought on by this mother of all shocks.

Misao reached into the right pocket of her pajama bottoms and retrieved a small item, which she frisbeed into the boy's lap. "I hope you know how to put one of _these_ on," she said. Satoshi's looked down to see what he had been given. It was a condom, still wrapped in square silver packaging.

"Ah!" he yelped. "M-Misa-chan, I don't know how-" He suddenly stopped as Misao began to strip her clothes off. First the shirt lifted off, revealing her now bare chest and her small but perky breasts. There were distinct tan lines were her bra would have been. Next she bent down to slide off the waist her pajama bottoms, a pair of white panties beneath. She paused to give Satoshi another giggling smile before the _final_ article of clothing was slipped off, rendering her completely nude.

The organ that was Satoshi's heart was now pumping so fast it felt like it would burst from his chest at any moment. _"H-Holy shit…_" his mind raced. "_She's not kidding around at all! S-She really **does** want to do this! B-But I don't really know how to- t-to have s-sex! What if I mess up? What if I just embarrassing myself? Oh Jesus!"_

Misao walked her now naked self back to the couch and resumed her position straddled on Satoshi's lap. "Hmm?" she voiced after looked at the other's lap. "You didn't put it on, Sato-kun." She looked to the boy's face for an explanation but received nothing but his shocked and wide-eyed stare back. "Tee-hee, too busy looking at _me_, were you? Don't worry, I'll put it on _for_ you…"

Satoshi gasped as Misao reached her hands to the boy's pant and undid the button and zipper, and once loosened, both pant and underwear were slid down in one fluid motion, bringing his at-attention manhood into the light. Misao's eyes widened slightly at this new sight. "Bigger than I thought," she commented absentmindedly.

Satoshi's could feel his face warm as he blushed. "M-Misa-chan, I-I don't know if I-" he said in a near whisper.

"Aww, don't feel embarrassed, Sato-kun," she assured him. "Here, let me just get this on…" She quickly ripped the wrapping off and, with little hesitation in the movement of her hands, rolled the plastic over the shaft, sheathing it. The boy yelped a stifled "Aah!" at the initial touch but desperately kept his voice under control. It was clear at how effortless Misao slipped the condom on that she knew _exactly_ what she was doing.

Once done Misao lifted her gaze back to Satoshi, whose face was still quite red. She leaned in once more to give him a kiss on the forehead. She then stood up on her knees and scooted herself forward, hovering herself above Satoshi's waist. Her womanhood was already glistening with anticipation. Every moral fiber within Satoshi was telling him to get out of there before he made a fool of himself but fear kept him petrified.

"You ready, Sato-kun?" she whispered to the boy Tainaka.

"… M-Misa-chan! A-Are you sure you want to do this…?"

She nodded back. "I'm positive, Sato-kun. I want my first time… to be with _you_."

_First time…_

She smiled. "Sato-kun… I love you." Her body lowered. Both she and Satoshi gasped as they felt the first touch, the very tip making contact. And slowly, inch by inch, Satoshi's manhood slipped further and further inside Misao, engulfing it in her warmth. It made it halfway until Satoshi felt it hit the barrier that was the other's hymen, but Misao continued to push herself further downward. A pained expression now showed on her face.

"Aah!" she moaned. "S-Sato-kun, i-it hurts." Further and further she lowered herself until finally- "AAAAAAAH!" She screamed as the barrier was finally broken and Satoshi's member slid fully inside her. "O-Ouch," she winced.

"M-Misa-chan!" the boy nearly screamed back. "Are you ok?" He glanced down to see a few small trickles of blood. "Gah! Y-You're bleeding! Misa-chan!"

Misao managed to grin back. "I'm fine, Sato-kun. Don't worry, j-just let me do all the work for you." Misao gently began to rock her hips back and forth atop of Satoshi, her hands now grasping his sides. When she sensed Satoshi was not going to grab her back _willingly_ she reached over and placed his hands onto her waist.

_"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy **shit!** T-This is happening! This is **actually** happening! _

"S-Sato-kun," Misao squealed, "does it feel good?"

In his fright, Satoshi blurted out the first thing that popped into his head at that exact moment. "I-I think I'm going to come!"

"W-Wha-? Already? B-But I haven't even-"

"AAAAAAAH!"

Inexperienced swiftly pushed Satoshi to his limit and he could no longer hold himself back. His muscles clenched up as the orgasm struck him with force akin to that of a speeding truck: it drained him of his energy. Misao felt the other's body change and she quickly lifted herself off of Satoshi to check. Indeed the boy had came; the reservoir tip of the condom caught nearly every drop of what had been expelled.

"Aww _man_," Misao said in a near whine. "I wasn't even close too…" She lifted her eyes back to Satoshi and noticed the drained expression he had. "Sato-kun? You ok?"

"… Sorry, Misa-chan," Satoshi managed to say back as he averted his gaze to his left. "I guess I can't even do _this_ right." He made indirect reference to how he had failed to spare Misao from the grenade during their first meeting.

Kusakabe, noticing the down-trot in Satoshi's voice, quickly slipped the condom off him (tossing it, for the time being, into a small trash can under the end table) and leaned back forward into his chest, resting her head on his right shoulder and bringing her arms around his back. "Aww, don't feel bad, Sato-kun," she reassured him. "Can't expect a kid like you to be perfect on your first time. I was surprised you made it as far as you _did_." She squeezed tighter. "It shouldn't matter though. You made me a woman today, Sato-kun… I _love_ you." She brought her lips down to the right side of the boy's neck and began to kiss and suck on the skin, something she never had done to him before.

"M-Misa-chan… I love you too…" Satoshi whispered back.

The girl continued to suckle at the boy's skin for the next few minutes, voicing loud sucking sounds as she did. It gave Satoshi a moment to think. "_… I still don't understand it. How could a girl like her find someone like **me** interesting? How could someone like **her** fall in love with me, enough to the point of being willing to losing their **virginity** to me?_" He listened to the moans his girlfriend was making as she continued to kiss and suck, how _real_ they felt.

"_… Maybe I'm thinking about things too much,_" he then thought._ "Maybe this is **no** real answer to what I'm wondering. They do say love is a strange thing… So what if I don't understand why Misao likes me. That isn't important. What **is** important is that I love her back, and… I'd be willing to take more than grenades for her._"

Satoshi's arms suddenly found renewed strength. They shot back up and wrapped around Misao's waist and pulled her in tight. "I _love_ you, Misa-chan," he reiterated, now with greater enthusiasm.

Misao's lips lifted from the other's neck to giggle. "Someone feels a bit better, I see," she said into her lover's ear.

"Yeah… though I'm still mad I ended up coming so soon. Sorry."

"Oh don't worry about that, Sato-kun… We can always try _again_, if you want to."

"… A-_Again? _Y-You mean, like, right _now_?"

The girl lifted her head back up to look Satoshi in the eye. "Yeah, sure," she grinned. "But if you're not up to it-"

"I AM!- I-I mean, well, if _you_ want to… D-Do you have any more of... _those_?"

"Yep. I _did_ buy a three-pack, ya know?"

_Nervous Satoshi out. Cool Satoshi in._ "Well, in _that_ case," Satoshi said back, "let's make it a trilogy."

-o0o-

For remainder of the afternoon, the "trilogy" was made. Misao and Satoshi retreated to the safety of the former's room and they attempted to rectify what had just happened with another bout of sex. Unfortunately, Satoshi _again_ finished before Misao. But on their _third_ try, when the boy's body seemed to reach its very peak of exhaustion, he was finally able to give Misao a blissful climax.

It would be 19:00 when Satoshi finally left for home. The sun had already setted and the skied turned dark. He and his girlfriend exchanged their goodbyes at the front door porch, giving each other long, extended, deep kisses. Misao, as he headed off, gave the boy the open invitation to come back anytime he felt like "having another go," provided either he or she had protection. Satoshi had a feeling he would be stopping by the Kusakabe residence not too long from then.

The boy Tainaka felt like he was on top of the world. He had accomplished more than most boys his age could even _dream_ of achieving: not only was his membership to the "V-Club" irreversibly revoked by his girlfriend, but they did it two more _consecutive_ times afterward (and he had the drained balls to further prove this point true.) The swagger in the boy's step as he walked back to the station and rid the train back to Sakura was unmistakable, the constant grin on his visage impossible to miss.

His glee would only temporarily rise when, upon returning home, he noticed that both his mother and father's cars were still not in the driveway. "_Excellent_," he cheered within his head. "_I have two less people to explain to about where I was all day… But that still leaves Nee-chan…_"

He approached the front door of his house and slowly opened it after unlocking it with his key. He listened for any sounds within… _nothing_. A few lights were on but there was little to hear: no television, no music from his sister's stereo upstairs, _nothing_. This made Satoshi even _more_ happy. He entered the house, kicked off his shoes, and down the hallway toward the stairs that led to his room, believing himself to be free and in the clear… But a voice from the kitchen put all such thoughts to rest.

"Kitchen. Now"

It was Ritsu.

Satoshi held back every urge to exclaim "SHIT!" and instead slowly walked himself into the kitchen, where his sister waited for him. She stood with her back leaned against a counter and both her eyes locked _firmly_ onto her bother. In her right hand was what looked like a glass of orange juice, which she spun (as if doing her best James Bond villain impression.)

"And _where_ have_ you_ been all day, little brother?" she began, taking a sip of the juice.

"… J-Just hanging out with some friends," he replied. His voice betrayed him and showed clear nervousness.

"Yeah, bull_shit_ you were," she snapped back, placing the glass on the counter. "If you were hanging out with friends, you would have left a note. So, imagine _my_ surprise when I wake up to not only find you _gone_, but you had left _no_ indication as to where you were. No note nor text message on my phone or message on the answering machine. _Nothing_." She approached Satoshi, stopping once within arm's length of him. "I'll ask again: where were you today, Sa-to-shi?"

"U-Uh. W-Well, I was-"

"Hey! What are those marks on your neck?" she suddenly asked.

"Marks? What-?" Satoshi gasped. In a flash, he knew what Ritsu was talking about. Suddenly all those weird looks he was getting on the train ride back were starting to make sense. During this kisses Misao was giving his neck, she had left marks on the skin. The whole right side of his neck was no doubt covered in red and black and blue circles.

The boy quickly flipped the collar of his jacket up to hide the marks (even though it was much too late now.) "N-Nothing!" he defended. "They're nothing!"

"_Bullshit!_ Show me them right now!" Ritsu shot her right arm forward and grabbed the collar of her brother's jacket. Satoshi fought back but his sister was stronger than him. She flipped the collar back down, giving herself a better look at the neck.

"What the…?" she voiced. She leaned in to get an even better look. "These are… These are _hickies_!" She shot her head back to look the boy in the eyes. "My brother leaves for the entire day and comes back with _hickies_!

Alright, fess up. Who gave you these!"

There was not much Satoshi could do now. All he really _could_ do was tell the truth and hope that Ritsu would not make _too_ big of a deal about the whole thing. That didn't seem likely in Satoshi's mind. "… M-My girlfriend?" he finally replied.

This time, _Ritsu_ gasped. She took two steps back from the very shock of the reply she was given. "Your_ girlfriend_?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Y-Yeah. My girlfriend…"

Ritsu's visage went through a series of rapid changes in expression. First she looked (rightfully) shocked. Then it switched to a look of confusion. But lastly, she _grinned_: a smile graced both corners of her mouth. Ritsu voiced a chuckle as she both shook her head at her brother and crossed her arms across her chest.

"My my, Satoshi," she said to him. "You _surprise_ me."

"N-Nee-chan?" Satoshi cautiously said back.

"So, my little brother has a _girlfriend_, eh? So, what's the lucky girl's name, huh?"

Satoshi opened his mouth and was just about to answer his sister's query, but he instead came up with another idea. A much _better_ idea. The boy grinned. "… You know what, Nee-chan?" he finally said back. "I don't think I'm going to tell you."

"Wha-? _Excuse_ me?" Ritsu shot back. "What do you mean you're not going to tell me!"

"If _you_ can keep secrets from _me_, then _I_ have a right to keep secrets from _you_."

"_What_ secrets?"

"If you won't tell me who _you_ like, then _I_ won't tell you who my girlfriend is. That sounds fair, don't you think?"

The girl's jaw dropped from sheer surprise. She honestly didn't think her brother was _capable_ of this kind of behavior. She actually found it quite impressive of him. "… Well well _well_, my own brother finally got the better of me… Ok then, _'stud'_, you win. I won't bother you about your girlfriend. I promise."

Satoshi smiled back. "Thanks, Nee-chan. You're the best."

"Yeah, I know. Oh, and about the hickies."

"Yeah?"

"Get a toothbrush and gently scrub the mark and the skin around it. It will make the area around the mark a bit redder but it will defuse the black and blue. A cold pack works well too."

"Thanks… Uh, Nee-chan? How did you know that?" Satoshi asked.

Ritsu simply winked back and replied "A girl has gotta know these things…"

* * *

**[Author's Notes]** Hmm, I _did_ enjoy writing this chapter more than the last. I guess I was right in thinking that.

Origionally, I had this chapter going about in a completely different direction, but members of the MLSF insisted that I make Satoshi nervous about the whole ordeal, constantly questioning how he was even _able_ to have such a girlfriend. So thanks **[Insert Forum Member Name Here]** for the suggestion. It helped _vastly_ in adding realism to Satoshi's inner dialogue.

Well, Chapter 9 will be the last of Blast Beat. What will occur? Will any _more_ flowers be plucked? Turn in next time for the next installment of Blast Beat Heart!


	9. The Conclusion Begins

Chapter 9

The teaching regiment Konata had for Ritsu was something she had thought out completely before they first personally met up at the Tainaka residence. Every date, every meet-up had been planned in advance, the progression of actions carefully thought out. The three week absence Konata had from Ritsu was a set-back for the blue-haired girl in her schedule, but the two were already nearly done with their lessons. Only one more meet-up was planned, and if Ritsu passed, her lessons would be complete…

But Konata didn't _want_ Ritsu to pass now. At first, she wanted her to succeed and gain her confidence to admit her feelings to Mio Akiyama… but things grew complicated. Namely, Konata fell in love with Ritsu, and that changed _everything_. Izumi now rethought things. If Ritsu passed, she would most likely move onto Mio and, if Mio _accepted_, Ritsu would not look back.

It was for these reasons Konata wanted Ritsu to fail her last lesson. If it meant having her close, it was worth it in Konata's mind…

-o0o-

The next weekend brought the day of the final test. Ritsu (by means of text message) was asked to attend a small manga convention located a few towns over. It was no means a convention on as such a grand scale as, say, _Comiket_, but it was large in its own respects. Ritsu arrived at around noon. She soon found herself thrust into the throngs of people, the masses of individuals that had gathered. She texted Konata as to where to meet up and soon got the reply of _"Look for the Haruhi Suzumiya booth_."

It took her a few long minutes of both search and asking a number of the other attendants, but Ritsu finally found the blue-haired girl sitting on a bench adjacent to a booth that had an _immense_ line in front of it. They all lined up to one woman, who was signing autograph after autograph after autograph. Sitting next to Konata on the bench were a few large paper bags (her haul from earlier that day.)

Konata lifted her head once she noticed that someone had approached her. "Ricchan!" she beamed. "You finally made it."

"Yeah," she said back in a sigh. "How the hell you find your way around these places is beyond me. It took me forever to find this place… You know who that woman is?" she then asked, making reference to the one giving out autographs.

"You're kidding, right?" Konata deadpanned back. She said it as if that was supposed to be common knowledge Ritsu should have known already. "That's Aya Hirano! Voice actress to Haruhi Suzumiya!"

"Haruhi- On yeah! I recognize that name." She gave the line of people that stood before the mentioned female another glance. "She's damn popular, that's for sure. If you were thinking of getting her autograph as well, Konata, you might be out of luck-"

"Oh I _already_ got it," Izumi explained. She reached into one of her bags and retrieved a picture: a headshot of Aya herself, the bottom right corner signatured "Aya Hirano."

"You got one already? Was the line long when you were in it?"

"Not really. I waited for only about an hour."

"Only an hour!"

"Yeah, but it was _so_ worth it!" She tucked the photo back into the bag and stood up from the bench. "Well, ready to head off?" she asked Ritsu with a grin.

"Uh, sure… _Where_ exactly?" Ritsu asked back.

"Just to look around. I still got a lot of ground to cover today. I haven't been to _half_ of the booths today. Well, let's got then! But _first_…" She reached into her right pant pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper which she placed directly into Ritsu's right hand.

The hair-banded girl gave the folded paper a quick look. "Uh, Konata? What is thi- Eh?" When she looked back up from her hand to Konata, she was already a distance off, carrying her bags. As Ritsu ran to catch back up with her she unfolded the note and read it.

_Ricchan,_

_For your final test, you have to confess your love to **me**: Konata Izumi. It will be practice for the real thing, for when you do it for Mio. Make it as convincing as possible, and if I'm sufficiently taken, you will officially pass my teachings_.

This was it: Ritsu's final orders. She needed only to pass this to finally be ready.

"_I will not fail you, Konata-sensei_," Ritsu told herself.

-o0o-

"No. No, no, _no_!" Ritsu pleaded. "There is no way I'm going in _that_ section!"

"Eh?" Konata voiced back. "Why not? Are you embarrassed about the content?"

"S-Some of it…"

"But _we've_ done stuff that's just as intense as most of the stuff _here_."

"GAH! K-Konata, don't say stuff like that out loud! People will hear you!"

"But it _is_ true."

"I don't care if it _is_! And I'm not embarrassed! There's _sick_ stuff in there that I _don't_ want to see, understand? **_Sick_** stuff!"

"Oh come on, Ricchan. If you face your fears you'll only become stronger because of it. Now let's _go_!" Konata grabbed Ritsu by the wrist of her left arm and dragged her toward a sectioned-off part of the convention hall. They approached an access point that was manned by a single person (a man distinguished by his red "STAFF" emblazoned shirt.)

He stopped the two girls as they approached. "I'll need to see some photo identification," he immediately stated.

Since both girls had no driver's licenses, they instead retrieved from their individual wallets their school IDs, which both provided a picture and their birth date. The man examined them for a few seconds before handing them back. "Ok, you can head inside."

"Excellent!" Izumi once more cheered, grabbing Ritsu by the same wrist and literally pulling into the new section. I instantly became clear why photo identification was necessary to enter: this section of the convention was for 18+ customers and the content within made that point evident.

Though Konata seemed at ease in this place, casually thumbing through the books, Ritsu had an aura of extreme caution about her. She allowed her eyes and legs to wander but she did so at an extremely vigilant manner. She stuck close to Konata and feared her eyes would fall upon material _beyond_ her comfort zone.

"… Konata?" Ritsu whispered as Izumi continued to unabatedly look through the DVD section. "I-Is _this_ part of the final lesson?"

"No, not really," Konata replied off-handedly.

"T-Then why did you insist I come in here?"

"Ricchan, don't tell me you're afraid of smut, are you?"

"It's not that, it's-"

Before she could finish, Konata shoved in front of Ritsu's face the case to a visual novel: "_Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo_." The cover depicted two young girls (one with pink hair in pigtails and the other with blonde hair) dressed in nothing more than provocative underwear, lying atop the surface of a bed together, their arms embracing each other warmly.

Ritsu took the box From Konata's hand and examined the cover. "… Well _this_ just looks like yuri stuff," she commented.

"Is it _that_ kind of material you're afraid of?" Izumi asked.

Ritsu laughed. "Konata, I _am_ that kind of material. What do _you_ think?"

"I figured not, but I thought I'd ask. Now, what about…" She grabbed another case and held it out before the other's face. "_This_! What about_ this_?"

Ritsu took the case and read aloud the title. "_Kana Imouto_." _This_ game she had actually heard of and she was aware of the subject matter it explored. "Eh, _no_, this stuff doesn't freak me not. Not _incest_."

"No? Really? Does that mean that you…?"

"UGH! No _WAY!_ Don't even _joke_ like that, Konata! To even _think_ that Satoshi and I would _ever_- GAH!"

"Hey, I never _said_ anything about your brother. _You_ did," Konata grinned.

"But you were _thinking_ it. I _know_ you were, so knock it off!"

"Alright, alright, calm down! I was only joking, _damn_… Ok, if yuri and incest aren't what makes you freak out, then how… about… _this_!"

In place of another CD case, Konata instead unraveled before Ritsu a medium sized poster. It was a limited edition promotion item for the visual novel "_Saya no Uta_." In the very center of the paper was depicted a beautiful young girl with an almost angelic look: the white dress she wore emitting an aura about it, her long deep green hair waving behind her.

But it what was _around_ the girl that caused the drummer to initially read back. Around the depicted girl looked to be… organs. Innards of every imaginable shape, size, and color covered the floor she stood upon.

"Gross," Ritsu initially deadpanned. "Why is she standing around a bunch of organs?" she then asked Konata.

"You mean you're not freaked out by this? Damnit," Konata cursed. "I was almost _sure_ that would do it."

"That would freak _Mio_ out, _definitely_, but you out of luck with me," Ritsu smirked. "You're going to have to try harder than _that_."

Konata sighed an "Ok, ok," but instead of putting the poster away, she watched Ritsu and waited until she looked preoccupied with searching the other items. She then snuck covertly behind Ritsu and placed the poster inches from the back of her head. Then, when the drummer finally did turn back around, the little girl in the white dress, Saya, was directly in front of her. "I'm coming for YOU, Ritsu!" Konata screamed.

Ritsu jumped from shock and, on pure adrenaline-filed reaction, punched her right fist forward, ripping through the poster and splitting it in half. The sound of tearing paper seemed to echo in the small, walled off "18+" area. Those within hearing distance stopped whatever they were doing to look. From the grave looks the other customers were giving both Konata and Ritsu, it was if the two girls just set off a bomb.

The man who had just asked for their IDs earlier approached the two and immediately noticed the ripped poster. "What the hell is going on here!" he snapped.

Izumi glanced at Ritsu for a split second. "Uh… _She_ did it!"

"W-What!" Tainaka shot right back at her.

"That's right, sir. _She's_ the one who ripped the poster!"

"Only because you shoved it in my face!" Ritsu retorted.

The man intervened once again. "I don't care _who_ did it. _One_ of you _is_ going to pay for this right now!"

In the blink of an eye, both the gaze of he and Konata fell upon Ritsu. It took the girl a few seconds before she realized it had even happened. "… W-Whoa, wait a minute! You expect _me_ to pay for the poster?"

"Well you _did_ rip it, Ricchan," Izumi answered.

"B-But that's because-! Aw _forget_ it! I'll pay for the damn thing." Ritsu reached for her waller and asked the guy "What's the damage?"

"One thousand yen," the man answered.

"… Are you _fucking_ kidding me? I get my ass chewed off for something worth only one thousand yen?"

"_That_ was a limited edition poster, and-"

"Oh shove it up your ass, _otaku_!" The drummer, after retrieving the appropriate sized bill from her wallet, crumpled it up and threw it at the guy's face before walking right past him to exit the area. "_Jesus, all that fuss over one thousand- They made that damn piece of paper out to be the Mona Lisa or something! Of all the idiotic things I've ever-_" Ritsu turned back to notice that Konata had not left with her. "Why didn't she leave with me?" she thought aloud.

Konata, however, _did_ reappear from the "18+" area a few minutes later and rejoined Ritsu. "Man, you caused quite a scene!" she said with a laugh in her voice. "I'm pretty sure you left that guy _trembling_."

"Pfft. All that crap over one thousand yen. Can you believe that?"

"Well, it _was_ a collector's item-"

"Oh don't start sounding like one of _them_ now, Konata! Hey, why didn't you leave when _I_ did?"

"Hey, just because _you_ didn't want to buy anything doesn't mean _I_ didn't."

"Figures. So, what did you get?" Ritsu asked.

Izumi rummaged through the bag for a second. "Oh, a couple of visual novels, a doujin or two, _and_… this poster!" she cheered as she whipped out a new poster from her bag and unraveled directly in front of the drummer's face. It was a copy of the exact same one she had ripped not a few minutes ago.

"Konata, you asshole! I'm going to kill you!"

The otaku instantly made a break for it, Ritsu taking pursuit behind her. "You'll have to catch me first!" Izumi laughed back as she zipped and weaved through the crowds. Konata could not stop laughing as Ritsu continued to chase her.

And it was around that time, in the fun Konata was having, that the teacher completely forgot about the note she had given her student earlier that day…

-o0o-

After Ritsu's temper finally subsided, the two patrolled the grounds of the convention hall for the next two hours (in reality, it was more like Ritsu _following_ Konata wherever she went.) Regardless, the two girls had loot to show for their adventuring: Ritsu had a medium sized plastic bag containing about six or so volumes of various manga while Konata had amassed enough to fill _another _large paper bag, giving her a grand total of four bags. Ritsu was amazed Konata's little arms could carry the weight of all those books for such a long period of time.

But apparently, the weight of the collective haul _was_ putting strain on the girl, for at one point in their perusing, Izumi stated "Let's take a break." Ritsu concurred with a nod of her head and they then headed to a food court located separate from the main convention hall. Each got themselves a drink before finding a table to sit themselves down at.

Konata whipped a few visible beads of sweat from her brow with the back of her head before exclaiming a loud "*Whew*... Man, I haven't done this much buying since last year's Comiket. That's the good thing about small conventions like this, Ricchan: less people and more chances to _buy_."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Ritsu conferred. "But did you have to buy _all_ this stuff? You know the prices on these things go down drastically, like, a month after they release, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I wouldn't be a _true_ fan if I bought them when they were _cheap_. No. To truly show your devotion, you must buy when the iron is hot, right after the product's release, when limited edition items are at their highest in demand!"

Ritsu could not help but chuckle at Konata's blatant enthusiasm. "True, but it just seems like a waste of money to me."

"Not a waist; an _investment_," Izumi clarified.

"Sure sure…" Ritsu paused to allow a bit of silence between Konata and herself. It was her way of allowing things to cool down before she decided to speak again. Not only _that_, but it gave her time to work up her inner courage, courage with which to do what she had planned to do nearly all that day.

"… Kona-chan?"

Konata froze for a split second. Not _once_ before had Ritsu called her by "Kona-chan." "… Yeah, Ricchan?" she said back. She watched as the drummer shifted in her seat before replying.

"I, uh… Well, I wanted to first thank you for _everything_ you've done for me. Seriously, if it wasn't for you, I would have never gained the confidence I have right now. I mean it: Thank you."

Konata blushed, partly from a sense of pride, but mostly at receiving such complements from Ritsu. "Aww, thanks Ricchan. I couldn't just let a friend in need go unheeded, ya know?"

"Right. It's just, you helped me out so much to help me confess to Mio, so…" She paused to look down at her drink. "… So it makes what I'm about to say that much more difficult."

"Ricchan?" Konata was taken aback by this sudden change in demeanor from the drummer. "What is it?"

Again, Ritsu paused. "Well, again, you put all this effort in helping me gain confidence for Mio, and while I still _do_ like her, I… I…" Her eyes suddenly lifted back to lock firmly onto Izumi's. "I think I have fallen for someone _else_."

The otaku's heart skipped a beat. Even though the message was quite clear, Konata could not help but ask back "_Who_, Ricchan?"

"… _You_, Kona-chan. I've fallen for _you_."

Because Konata had tragically forgotten about the note _she herself_ gave Ritsu earlier, she took the admission at face value.

The floodgates opened within Izumi's mind, and all manners of happiness, joy, and ecstasy cascaded forth. It had been something she had wanted to hear uttered from Ritsu's lips since their second "date": an _admission_. It was something out of a dream to Konata: an admission that seemed straight out of a dating sim, and at its uttering, the blue-haired girl could not have felt any happier. In fact, she had never _been_ as joyous as she was right then.

"… R-Really?" her shock-stricken voice managed to stutter back. "D-Do you really mean that, Ricchan?"

Ritsu took a sharp breath in before replying "I _do_." She then reached her right arm across the surface of the small metal-mesh table and placed her hand atop Konata's right hand. "I… I know this is probably the _last_ thing you want to hear from me. I mean, you put so much effort in helping me admit to Mio, but… During our lessons, I just could _not help_ but become closer to _you_, Kona-chan.

Besides," she then added with a slight grin in the corner of her mouth, "we've shared more between us than Mio seems _capable_ of doing." She, of course, referred to the experiences of their "yuri zone expansion lessons."

Konata's face turned red in a blink. "R-Right," she continued to stutter. "B-But Ricchan, what _about_ Mio! Do you not love her anymore?"

For a moment, the girl Tainaka averted her eyes, her voice taking a slight turn for the sullen. "I-It not like I _don't_ love her. I _do_, but…" Her grip of Konata's hand tightened. "We've gotten so close _already_, and it would be stupid to ruin it, right?" The girl paused for a moment. "You're probably angry with me right now, aren't you? All that effort you made gone to waste…"

"W-Wha? No! N-_No!_" Izumi said back in a panic. "I-I'm not mad at you at all! I-In fact… I secretly wanted this _more_ than you being with Mio. As selfish as that sounds, it's the truth: I _want_ you, Ricchan. I _need_ you."

"K-Kona-chan… So… Are you accepting my admission then?" Tainaka asked.

Konata smiled. "_Yes_, Ricchan, I accept. You have no idea how happy you have made me-"

"YES!" Ritsu suddenly voiced a loud exclamation of joy that seemed inappropriate for the current situation. "It worked! So, Konata, did I pass?"

…

"… Huh?" Konata asked back in a bewildered daze.

"My admission? Did I pass the final test then?"

"Test-?" Izumi stifled back a gasp. In a flash, Konata finally remembered: the note she gave Ritsu earlier that day, the whole damn premise for their bonding this day. It took her a second to comprehend, but the otaku now fully realized the _true_ reason Ritsu had confessed to her just now. This was not a _real_ admission of love, but a tool of deception, utilized in order to pass her final lesson.

It was _false_.

The blue-haired girl's heart, her _very** soul**_, had officially been broken. The blissful illusion of the once romantic moment shattered like brittle glass, taking Konata back down into a state of severe depression. It was clear to her now: Ritsu still loved Mio, Konata was nothing more than a tool to the drummer, and no matter what she said, no matter what she did, no matter how much her heart ached, Konata could never have her…

Konata's eyes fell down to the surface of the table. It took all she could muster not to break into tears right then and there. "… Y-Yes, Ricchan. You passed," she whispered back to her student.

Ritsu was much too elated to notice the other's change in disposition. "I _did_?" she once again exclaimed. "Excellent! So does that mean that-?"

"Yes… I have nothing more to teach you, Ricchan. You are now ready to confess to M- To Mi-" She struggled to speak the name, but simply could not. It was too painful to utter. "… To _her_."

"Awesome!" Ritsu shot up from her chair, breaking the bond of the two's hands, and grabbed her bags. "Thank you so much, Konata-sensei. I couldn't have done it without you! I got to head back now. Catch you later!" She gave Konata one last beaming smile before turning about-face and heading off.

Konata watch as her former student hurried off into the crowds of the convention. Once Ritsu has slipped into the throngs of people and disappeared from sight, she could no longer hold back her emotions. Her head dropped to the table's surface and she began to sob uncontrollably. She didn't care _how_ many looks she was getting from the other patrons. Her heart felt like it had been grinded into fine dust and blown into the wind, leaving nothing left.

_Ricchan, don't leave me…_

-o0o-

Ritsu did not attend school the next day, giving her teachers the explanation of catching a sudden bug…

So, when the hours of the light music club rolled around, the remaining members of Houkago Tea Time found themselves with little to do. They never practiced in the band room without the full entourage, and being sans Ritsu this day, the only thing they seemed to be practicing was eating cake and drinking tea.

After Mugi served everyone (herself included) their _fourth_ cut of the day's cake (which was white chocolate cake), the black-haired girl that was Mio Akiyama looked up at the clock to see that it was 15:00 on the button.

"Looks like Ritsu won't be joining us _again_," she commented aloud.

The way Mio uttered her thought produced the cock of an eyebrow from Azusa. "What do you mean by _that_?" she queried her sempai. "Ritsu is usually on time for the club."

"Yeah," Yui agreed. "The only other time she was late recently was when she overheard-" She stopped. She didn't even have to finish her sentence for the other girl to figure out what she was referring to: the day Ritsu overheard Sawako Yamanaka talking with Nanako over the phone and the spying game that followed afterward.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, each girl too cautious to speak further. Azusa finally broke the silence. "… Isn't it weird?" she asked the collective. "It's been a few months since Sawa-chan and Nanako got married, but it's felt like it's been longer than that." The others concurred with nods of their heads. "… I've been wondering something lately, _about_ Sawa-chan and Nanako."

"What is it, Azu-nyan?" Yui asked.

"Well, just that… What do you think would have happened if we never found about those two the way we did?" When the pig-tailed girl received back wordless stares, she elaborated. "I mean, what if we never_ did_ spy on Sawa-chan that day? What would have happened if we remained blissfully unaware of the two and we _nor_ Konata, Tsukasa, Miyuki, and Kagami ever got involved?

Do you think… they would have still gotten married?"

The question hung in the air for what felt like the longest time. From the expression on each of their faces, it was clear that each of the girls were thinking the question over intensely. But for an extended moment, no one spoke a reply. That is, until Miss Kotobuki finally answered.

"I think they _would_ have!" she declared with enthusiasm.

The eyes of the room turned onto her. "You think so? Mio asked.

"I _do_! I mean, they had known each other for, what? Seven years _at least_? I think even if we didn't get involved, it would have happened eventually. It would have been a shame if it never _did_."

The others seemed to nod in agreement. "You really think it would have happened even _if_ we never got involved?" Mio asked again.

"Of course! A love like theirs, their special bond, it simply cannot be held back! I mean, _I_ would definitely-" Mugi cut herself short, realizing she was letting too much slip. Anymore and she feared she would be coming out of the closet with the rest of the band, and _that_ was a secret she wanted to keep for a _bit_ longer. "N-Never mind." The look she was now getting were slightly confused, but the rest of the girls held back any thoughts.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the stairwell outside the club room. All four of the girls look to the door. "Ah, that must be Sawa-chan," Mio mused aloud.

"… No, wait," Yui added, "Sawa-chan told me she wouldn't be at the club room today."

"Oh? Then who-?"

The door flew open and who else would appear from the other side but Ritsu Tainaka. The drummer's were locked onto only _one_ person: Mio. The others instantly recognized the expression in her visage, thought _most_ could not accurately read it. But Mugi _did_. _She_ read Ritsu's face like as if it were an open book. The look of those eyes and the intense vibe of determination they carried; it was all too clear to Mugi what Ritsu's intentions were.

"R-Ritsu?" Mio asked as the mentioned marched across the floor of the room. "I thought you were sick- _Eh?_" The girl voiced a sharp shriek as the girl Tainaka walked right to her and was grabbed by her right wrist.

"Let's go," Ritsu ordered, and before she knew it, Mio found herself forcibly pulled up out of her chair and toward the exit. She barely had time to snatch her school bag from off the couch before they left, leaving two members of the light music club to look on at this display in _complete_ confusion.

After a still, dead-silent moment, Azusa was the first to speak. "… What the heck just happened?" She asked aloud before turning to Yui. "Yui-sempai?"

She shook her head in reply. "I don't know, Azu-nyan. Maybe she needed to show her something?" Suddenly, Mugi let slip a gasp. Azusa and Yui whipped their heads to the blonde, who now had her right hand covering her mouth in a display of shock. Her eyes were still locked onto the door. "Mugi-chan?" asked Yui.

"… Oh my gosh," Tsumugi whispered. "I think… I think I know what's going on, you guys."

"You do?" asked Azusa. "Wait, what do you mean by 'what's going on'?"

Mugi then turned to the two and said "I think Ritsu has a thing for Mio!"

Silence once again filled the room. The look on both Yui and Azusa's faces were ones of shock. "… What?" the kouhai deadpanned back. "You think that _Ritsu_ likes_ Mio_?"

"Yes, I _do_. In fact, I don't _think_ she does: I _know_ she does!"

"B-But Mugi, how are you so sure!"

Miss Kotobuki decided then and there to admit to her friends her relationship with Miyuki Takara. She _knew_ this day would eventually come. She just didn't think it would be this _soon_. "Well, you see…"

-o0o-

The tightness of Ritsu's grip never faltered. Mio stumbled to keep pace with her friend as she marched forward down the stairwell and toward the front entrance of Sakura High. She kept pleading the other to stop. "R-Ritsu, what's going on? Please, slow down!" she said, but Ritsu heard none of it. Her mind was too focused on her goal.

She led Mio to the entrance and the very second they passed through it, Ritsu took a sharp right and headed toward the statue that stood in the courtyard. She led Mio behind it and practically threw her against the back of it. They finally came to a halt, which gave Mio a chance to talk. "Ritsu, what the heck is going o- _Aah_!" The girl yelped when Ritsu suddenly pinned her to a wall of the statue's concrete base. Ritsu pressed both her palms against the other's shoulders and leaned forward with all her weight. The black-haired girl was now legitimately frightened. "R-Ritsu, w-what are you-?"

"I'm sorry, Mio," Ritsu interrupted, "but this was the only way. I couldn't do this in front of the others."

"… D-Do _what_?" She already had a good idea what was about to transpire.

"… _This_," she answered. And before Mio had a chance to question further, Ritsu sprung her head forward and clamped her moth around the other's. The black-haired girl was initially (and understandably) paralyzed from fright. Then, her instincts kicked in and they told her body to react. How, exactly? By cocking back her right arm and slamming her fist into the left side of Ritsu's head at full force.

The girl stumbled back a few steps from the strike, her left hand reaching up to rub the point of impact. "Ouch…" she exclaimed. "Dang, Mio, that actually _hurt_." She managed to crack a grin.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mio shot back. "I d-didn't mean to hit you, but you just came out of nowhere and-"

"No, no, it's ok. I guess I had that coming…"

"Sorry, sorry, but you _really_ shouldn't make jokes like that, Ritsu. It's not funny."

"Joke- No! No, Mio. This is no joke…" The girl retook a step forward. "I really feel that way about you. _Really_."

In response, the black-haired girl face remained completely still, locked in a look of wide-eyed shock. "… Mio?" Ritsu asked her, but Mio gave no vocal reply. She remained absolutely silent.

Again, Ritsu stepped forward one step. Mio went to take a step away, but being her back was already pressed against the cement base of the statue, she instead flattened herself against the cold surface. Her eyes turned a shade more fearful.

Ritsu figured this would happen. After all, she had known Mio since kindergarten. She _also_ knew that, given the state she was in, Mio would not progress willingly in any displays of affection. Normally this would not be a problem, but currently, the drummer's libido (much like Konata's was not too long ago) was _aching_ to be relieved.

It drove Ritsu to act impulsively once more. She ignored Mio's fearful looks and lunged forward again, only _this_ time, to grab Mio's right wrist again. "Let's go," she reiterated before leading the girl toward the school's front gate, taking a sharp left onto the sidewalk.

Mio finally worked enough courage to manage to speak. "R-Ritsu," she said as the mentioned continued to pull her forward, "where are you taking me _now_?"

"My house," she replied.

"Your ho- Why are you taking me _there_?" Mio already had a good idea what Ritsu had intended to do once she reached her destination, but when Mio received only silence in response to her question, it was as clear as any _spoken_ reply could have been. "O-Oh my God- W-Wait, Ritsu! We can't go there. Not _now_!"

"Sorry, Mio, but I am _not_ changing my mind about this, no matter _what_ you say. I've been ready for this for _too long_ to wait another second."

"N-No, I'm not saying not to do that. I'm saying that Satoshi will be home by now!"

"… You mean you're not going to stop me, Mio?" Ritsu asked with surprise.

"… No, I won't." Ritsu stopped mid-step and turned about-face. This was a reply she was _not_ expecting at all. Mio continued, and somehow, she managed to crack the slightest of smiles. "You never _were_ a good listener, Ritsu. I figured it would be a waste of energy to even try… So, is this what you _really_ want, Ritsu? Be honest."

"… Sorry, Mio, but it _is_. I know you're probably scared right now-"

"_Terrified_… B-But somehow I'll manage," she added, her grin increasing a tiny bit more. "… B-But that still leaves the problem with Satoshi."

"We'll deal with him if or when a problem arises," Ritsu answered.

-o0o-

In place of actually doing his homework, the boy Tainaka, Satoshi, instead chose to read a few of his newly bought manga in the quite of his room atop the comfort of his bed. At around 15:45, his cellphone (which had been sitting atop the bedside table to his right) chimed. He quickly set aside the book and checked the phone's display to see who it was calling. He grinned at the name's recognition.

"Hey Misa-chan," he answered.

"_Hey Sato-kun_," Kusakabe replied from the other end of the line. "_How you doin'_?"

"Fine, just fine. You?"

"_Good._"Shepaused."_So, feel like stopping on by tomorrow_?" Satoshi already knew what her intentions. Ever since their _first time_, the boy and Misao shared a very healthy sexual relationship. From that day forward, whenever Satoshi made the trek to Misao's house, a romp between the sheets was an absolute certainty, and through many bouts of love-making did Satoshi become better and better _at_ it. No more premature finishes for him, that much was certain.

Satoshi grinned at the offer. "Jeez Misa-chan," he replied. "We did it the day before yesterday. Don't you ever feel like taking a break?" he joked.

"_Yesterday **was** the break_," she laughed right back. "_What, don't tell me my lover is all tired out. Rock your world too hard, did I?_"

"_Humph_. Misa-chan, you know as well as I do that I'm _always_ up for another round."

"_As I'd expect from a kid like you. So it's set then: you'll stop on by tomorrow… Also, about that…_"

"Yeah?" the boy asked.

"**_Well_**_… Remember that **thing** I gave you last time you were over?_" Boy, did he _ever_. The day before yesterday, Satoshi was gifted by Misao his first experience with oral sex. It was an amazing experience that, in many respects, he enjoyed slightly more than regular sex (mostly due to the fact that it was done sans a certain barrier of plastic.)

"Yeah, I remember," Satoshi replied. "You were great."

"_Hehe, thanks. Well, I was wondering if, perhaps, you'd like to return the favor._" In the blink of an eye, the boy was fully aroused. The thought of such an act with Misao _had_ graced his mind, but now, he had just been given open invitation to do so. Now all he could think about was not messing up _this_.

"Y-You really mean it, Misa-chan?" he asked her.

"_Of course, silly. I gave it to you, now you give it back. It's only fair, right?_"

Equal rights never sounded so good. "Right, right… Sure, Misa-chan. I'm up for it… _Definitely_."

"_Mmm, excellent. Can't wait to see how good you are,_" she giggled. "_But we can do it regularly afterward, of course. And before you ask, I **do** have condoms._"

"Ok, ok… Uh, about that, Misa-chan. You don't have like a part-time job or anything, right?"

"_No. Why?_" Misao answered and asked back.

"Well, just where do you get the money to buy protection all the time?"

"_Oh, my parents buy it for me_."

"Oh, ok, that's- Wait, _WHAT_!" Satoshi shot upright in his bed. "They buy it _for _you?"

"Yeah," Misao replied matter-of-factly. "If I'm out of cash, I just ask Mom or Dad for more money to by protection and they'll hand me an extra five thousand yen to buy some."

Sweat began to roll down the boy's brow. "S-So they know you have a boyfriend and that you are having sex? And they're _ok_ with it!"

"_Uh, yeah. Why do you sound so surprised, Sato-kun_?"

"Well, I don't know, I'd figure if _I_ found out my daughter was having sex, I'd take it upon myself to find out who her partner _was_… _Have_ you told your Mom and Dad about me at all?"

"_A little, but not too much. As far as **they** know, you're a high schooler from another school. I told them you're really shy and would prefer **not** to meet the 'in-laws', if you know what I mean_."

"… And they _believed_ that?" the boy deadpanned, not believing anyone _would_ believe such a pathetic lie.

"_Yep, actually, they agreed with it all_."

"But they're ok with you having sex?"

"_Oh yeah. When Mom, Dad, and I had the 'Birds and the Bees' talk with me, they basically told me 'Misao, we urge you to not have sex too early, but if you feel as if you're ready, tell us beforehand. And if you really **do** love him and you finally **do** decide to have sex, have him use protection, no matter how much he complains or says 'No.' If he truly loves you back, he'll accept. If he absolutely **won't**, kick his ass to the curb, because he's not worth it.'_

_ My dad added that last bit, in case you were wondering, hehe_."

"Hmm… You're parents are really smart, Misa-chan," said Satoshi.

"_Thanks, I guess… So, coming by tomorrow then, Sato-kun_?" Misao asked.

"Absolutely," he replied. "See you then, Misa-chan. Love you."

"_Love you too. See ya_~!" With that Misao hung up.

Satoshi slipped the phone into his left pocket and took a moment to look up at the ceiling above him. A grin seemed permanently fixed upon his face. His outlook for tomorrow was looking _quite_ good: not only another rendezvous with his girlfriend, but a potential new experience awaited him. Life was treating the boy well, that was for sure, a stark contrast to how he felt not a few months ago. He was feeling more confident, more upbeat, his outlook seems more positive, his disposition taking an upturn as well.

And he had Misao Kusakabe to thank for _all_ of this. How strange it is how love shapes us…

Hit with a sudden need of refreshments, Satoshi got up from his bed and exited his bedroom door, intent on grabbing a soda from the fridge downstairs. The second he exited the aforementioned room, he heard the front door open. "_Hmm, Nee-chan must be coming home now_," he thought to himself. He continued down the hall toward the stairwell as he heard the clatter off removed shoes in the foyer and the thuds of footsteps head toward the stairs as well. It was _then_ he noticed something was amiss: there were too many footfalls sounding for it to be only _one_ person.

His suspicions were confirmed when as he reached the top of the stairwell, the footsteps from downstairs made their ascension. Louder and louder they became as they drew nearer and nearer until, finally, the two rounded the bend in the stairwell and halted when they became face to face with the boy. Indeed it _was_ Satoshi's sister Ritsu, but with her was another: Mio Akiyama.

The black-haired girl gasped at the boy's sight. Both she as Ritsu came to a grinding halt when they saw the boy Tainaka standing in the doorway separating them from the rest of the upstairs (or to be more specific, Ritsu's bedroom.) Satoshi exchanged looks between Ritsu, then to Mio, _then_ to Mio's right wrist, which was _firmly_ in Ritsu's grip. He looked back to his sister's visage, and the look she gave him spoke much more than mere words could adequately do.

"_So, you finally found out_,_ Satoshi,_" the look said. "_You finally know who I like: Mio. And right now, you're the only one standing between me, her, and my room. So, what will you do little brother? It's your move now_…"

The boy continued to shift his gaze between the two: from Ritsu's determined expression, to Mio's slightly fearful one, and back… And the answer became clear. Satoshi suddenly gave a grin, a grin that caused both girls to raise an eyebrow. He then took one large sidestep to his right, his eyes glancing at the second door to the two's right: the door to Ritsu's room.

"… _Thank you_," Ritsu mouthed to her brother before she led Mio past him and into her room, the lock clicking shut immediately after. "… Way to go, Nee-chan," he whispered aloud. He then headed downstairs, got his desired drink from the fridge, and plopped himself in front of the television and turned it on, where he proceeded to turn the volume up.

_Way_ up.

-o0o-

It was not until an hour or so later that Satoshi heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. This time, it was the footsteps of only one. The boy quickly turned the television volume down and looked over the shoulder of the couch to the archway that led into the hallway, just to see who it was.

Mio Akiyama appeared in the hallway, her face still slightly red around her cheeks. She stopped for a moment to straighten out her school uniform before she resumed toward the door. But before she made it out, the boy called out to her. Satoshi stood up from the couch and uttered the name "Akiyama-san."

Mio jumped from fright and pivoted toward the voice's source. "S-Satoshi!" she gasped. "I, I-I… Y-You see, w-we, uh…" She was desperately trying to think up an explanation for the thirteen year old boy as to what had occurred in Ritsu's room (currently unaware that he knew_ exactly_ what had happened.) "Y-You see, what happened was, uh, we- I- uh-"

"Akiyama-san," Satoshi interrupted. "Don't worry about it." He walked over to the flustered girl, reached out and placed his right hand on her left shoulder, and smiled. "You don't need to explain anything to me… I know you'll make Nee-chan happy."

At first she looked confused at this strange display from Satoshi, but as she slowly began to understand, the fluster on her face subsided, replaced with a smile of her own. "… Thank you for understanding, Satoshi. E-Excuse me." She gave the boy a final bow before taking her leave of the Tainaka household.

The smile on Satoshi's face did not leave even after Mio had left. As he went back into the kitchen to get himself another drink, he heard his sister's footsteps come down the stairwell and enter the kitchen behind him. "Hello Nee-chan," he greeted casually as he opened the fridge and grabbed another can of soda. He listened as the footsteps walked up behind him.

"About-face, little brother," Ritsu suddenly demanded.

Sensing a berating on the horizon, Satoshi placed the can onto the counter to his right before turning himself around. "What is it, Nee-ch- Mmmph!" He was given no time to finish his query before Ritsu had threw herself forward, clamped her arm around Satoshi's back, and planted a hard, loud, smack of a kiss onto his mouth. She then tightened her already crushing hug as she buried her right cheek into his. For a split moment, Satoshi wondered where those lips had just been…

"You are the _greatest_ little brother in the whole world, you know that?" she gleefully cheered, rubbing her cheek against his. "_Thank you_, Satoshi. Thank you _so much_ for understanding. You made me so _happy_!"

This sort of affection from Ritsu was something Satoshi had never seen from his sister before. For a moment in time, Satoshi wondered if this indeed _was_ his sister. But of course he knew it to be her. "Thanks, Nee-chan…" he said back.

As Ritsu continued to squeeze Satoshi in her vice-grip of a hug, she got, for what seemed like the first time since they stopped taking baths together as kids, a feel of the boy's body. And frankly, something seemed not '_amiss'_, but more so _curious_ to her. Following this curiosity she was feeling, she began to massage her fingertips into the boy's shoulder blades, feeling out the muscles of them. Hs then made a sudden grab for the boy's upper arms, feeling _those_ muscles.

"Uh, Nee-chan? What _are_ you doing?" the boy finally asked.

"Satoshi, this is the first time I really got a good look at you, and… Have you been working out?" she asked her brother.

"Working out?" he echoed.

"Yeah. Your muscles, they feel, I don't know… _beefy_, kind of. _Have_ you been working out?"

Satoshi though for a moment. "Well, not _really-_" Just then, the answer came to him, and without think about what he was going to say, he gave his explanation. "Oh, _I_ know," he replied, giving the back of his neck a quick scratch, all the while grinning. "You see, Misa-chan and I have been doing it a lot, so maybe that's why I'm-

Oh _shit_."

Too late did the boy realize his blunder. In the blink of an eye both his and Ritsu's faces turn bright red (Satoshi's the more so.) "Uh-I-I…" the boy stuttered from crippling embarrassment. "N-No, Nee-chan, that's not what I meant by-"

Ritsu suddenly burst into an uproarious laughter one that caused her to break her hold of Satoshi and nearly brought her rolling onto the floor. "HA HA HA, O-Oh my Go-Ah-hahahaha!" Seemingly with no end did the girl continue to laugh, all at the expense of the boy's humility.

"N-Nee-chan!" Satoshi protested, yelling over the continuing gaffing. "I don't find this as funny as _you_ do! Knock it off!"

Eventually, after another twenty second, Ritsu finally managed to subside off her laughing, but only for a moment. "Ha ha, sorry, Satoshi," she apologized, whipping a tear or two from her right eye, "I just think it's hilarious! I mean, here _I_ am, trying to confess to Mio, and _you've_ been getting pussy _way_ before _I_ did!" She quickly fell back into laughter.

"Nee-chan! S-Stop it!"

"Ok ok, I'm done, I'm promise…" She took another moment to catch her breath. "_So_, your girlfriend's name is 'Misa-chan,' eh? And not only are you two close, you've done the _dirty_… You continue to surprise me, little brother. To be honest, I didn't think you had it in you. Well, I as your older sister, I _suppose _I have to be responsible and tell you to be careful when doing it. Hope you're not stupid enough to go bare-back, are you?"

"Bare-ba-? _Oh_ no, me and Misa-chan use condoms."

"Hmm, good… Jesus, it feels like things should be switched around, with _you_ being the less experienced and _I_ being the more so… So, Satoshi."

"Yeah?"

"Just out of curiosity, who _is_ this 'Misa-chan?' It must be a girl from another school, seeing as you go to an all-boy's school."

"Y-Yeah," Satoshi replied. "She's from a different school."

"Which one?"

"… Look, Nee-chan, if I tell you, will you please not tell anyone else? _Please_?"

The girl grinned once more. "Sure thing, Sato. After all, you kept _my_ secrets (even thought you kept secrets from _me_.) But sure, I won't tell anyone else."

"Ok, thanks. Well, her _real _name is Misao Kusakabe. And…"

"_And_…" Ritsu leaned in closer in anticipation.

"… She actually goes to Ryoo High School, same school as that blue-haired girl… Izumi-san, was it? … Nee-chan?"

The girl's face turned deadpan in a blink. "… Ryoo?" she repeated. "The _high school? _S-So she's, like, a _first_ year, right? So she's around _fifteen_, **_right_**?" she asked, hoping she was correct and fearing any answer that put the girl's age any higher.

"Actually… Misao is in her graduating year, so… she's _eighteen_…"

"_E-Eighteen!_" Ritsu screamed. "You're dating a girl that's _my age?_ And you two have had _sex_!"

"Ah- Y-Yeah?"

"… T-There's nothing _wrong_ with her, is there?"

"Nee-chan!"

-o0o-

"Ready yet?" Kagami asked her sister Tsukasa.

"I-I'm still a little nervous," Tsukasa replied. "M-Maybe we can do it _another_ day-?"

"No, Tsukasa. Sorry, but we can't delay this anymore. We've put this off long enough. It's best we do this _now_, when it's on our own terms. Everyone's downstairs in the living room, watching television."

"Oh Onee-chan, I'm afraid!" Tsukasa cried.

Kagami extended an arm forward and interlocked the fingers of her right hand with Tsukasa's left hand. "Don't worry about it. It'll be ok… You remember what we practiced?" The short-haired girl nodded back. "Good." Kagami heaved a quick sigh before continuing "Well, let's go-"

"Wait!" Tsukasa said just as Kagami was about to sit up from her bed.

"Tsukasa-"

"I-I'm not delaying, I promise… But could I have, maybe, one more kiss before we go downstairs. Just one more, please."

"… Fine," the sister smiled in response. The two leaned forward and peck each other just once, a touch that lasted only half a second, but it proved enough for Tsukasa. "… Ok, ready," she said, and with that, the sisters got up from Kagami's bed, left her room, and headed downstairs to the living room.

The rest of the family (their mother Miki, their father Tadao, and their other sisters Inori and Matsuri) were all sitting around the table in the center of the room, watching a game show on television. Tadao turned as he saw Tsukasa and Kagami enter the living room. "About time you two came downstairs," he said. "Sit down, the show had already started."

But the two did_ not_ sit. Instead, they walked themselves in front of the television and positioned themselves in front of the screen. Kagami turning the device off with a press of the power button.

"Hey, what gives!" Matsuri exclaimed. "That guy was on the 3.2 million yen question and was about to use his last lifeline!"

Kagami ignored her sister's protests and proceeded with what she had planned. She took a moment to voice a long sigh before she spoke. "Everyone, there's something we need to tell you all…" The entire room seemed to plunge into silence, the rest of the family now both too confused and frightened to speak.

Tsukasa, as planned, took it upon herself to utter the first of the two admissions. "Mom, Dad, everyone," she began, "O-Onee-chan and I, w-we…" She paused. "Y-You see, w-we…"

"… What is it, dear?" Miki whispered.

Finally, the short-haired girl forced herself to blurt out "Everyone, Kagami and I are both gay!"

Silence. Absolute silence. Libraries in the center of the _Earth_ are not this devoid of sound. The eyes of the rest of the family shot open in shock. The two older sisters shared a quick glance between themselves and Tadao let slip past his lips a whispered "Oh my God…" Miki, however, remained motionless, her surprised, unblinking expression locked onto her two younger daughters.

"T-That's not all," Kagami added. She then reached her left hand over and clutched Tsukasa's left hand before she gave the _second_ admission to the family. "Also, Tsukasa and I are… in love… with _each other_." The two then squeezed their eyes shut and awaited the family's reaction.

…

Miki stood up.

**_To Be Continued…_**

* * *

**[Author's Notes] **And with this installment, the forth part of the Lucky Stars and Gitahs series comes to a close. And we seemed to end on much of a cliffhanger, didn't it? Ritsu finally expressed her true feelings to Mio, Konata has been left heart-broken yet again, and the Hiiragi sisters have made their shocking revelation to the rest of the family. But how will all things end?

_Lucky Stars and Gitahs: Farewell Tour  
_

Yes, as the name implies, the next installment in this series _will_ be the last. For those of you who have read thus far and have remained loyal to the story, I thank you profusely. Review as you see fit, and until next time, I wish you all well.


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